Misreading Moonshine
by Maria Krause
Summary: Formerly Tell Me How You Want It To Be. It all started when they accused her of treason. As one of Konoha's best liars, she could hardly defend herself. So he took it in his hands to prove her innocence, since he'd been with her on that failed mission. But it only made things even more complicated. With all evidence pointing against her, his faith begins to waver. KakashixOC.
1. A Dangerous Mission

I.

Morino Ibiki was calmly interrogating a freshly caught suspect in a case of murder. The man was so frightened that the Tokubetsu Jonin didn't have to use his special means of torture. He received prompt answers to his questions, in a shaken, terrified voice. Like this, he found out that the interrogated suspect was merely an underling who had run just a couple of errands for his boss. He knew nothing of the murder or the murderer.

However, he did provide some clues, useful for the progress of the investigation. He shared with the shinobi what was the purpose of his latest errand—during which he was apprehended by Konoha ANBU—and the location of the headquarters of the criminal organization to which he belonged. He also assured his captors that, if his errand was completed on time, there would be no suspicions among his superiors.

Such was the report given to the Hokage by the master of interrogation, Ibiki. Tsunade read it over carefully and bit her lip while frowning after she slammed it on her desk.

"What is to be done?" Miyamoto Tegami asked. She was one of the shinobi who had assisted to the interrogation and accompanied Ibiki to Tsunade's office.

"First of all, we must complete the guy's errand," the Hokage answered after a long, thoughtful pause, "We don't have to let the others know that he was caught. Besides, we might get some intel from those he was supposed to deliver to."

Her brown eyes fell nervously on the report as she was biting her thumb. "Tegami," she suddenly looked up, "I'll entrust this to you. Go look for Hatake Kakashi. Make sure you complete the errand successfully then go to Otafuku Gai to closely investigate this criminal organization."

Tegami nodded with determination, "I understand."

"Come back to me once you find Kakashi. I'll give you more details then."

Tegami nodded again and left, together with Ibiki. "What are your thoughts on this matter?" he asked his companion.

"At the moment, I have no thoughts," she replied as she kept looking ahead of her, "I'm lacking data."

Ibiki glanced at her curiously, "True that. I can't wait to see what you bring back after your mission."

She gave him a small smile, "I hope it will help shed light on this mystery. Well then, we now have to part ways."

They had reached the exit. Bowing, Tegami left towards Ichiraku Ramen, not only hoping that she would come across Copy Ninja Kakashi, but also wishing to grab a bite before departing on her newly assigned mission.

The odds seemed to be against her, though, as she found no one at the ramen stand. A little disappointed, she ordered a small bowl of ramen, with extra pork, and silently ate as quickly as she could. For dessert, she dropped by the dango shop where she bought two skewers of three-colored dango and headed towards Kakashi's residence.

II.

Copy Ninja Kakashi was writing up his report on his latest mission when he heard a knock on the door. He wondered who it could be as he stretched his arms over his head and lazily dragged his feet to the door. Upon opening it, his eye widened in surprise before closing as he smiled.

"Hello," the kunoichi greeted him with a slight bow. He stepped back to let her in but she shook her hand and continued, "I am here to let you know that the Hokage would like to talk to the both of us."

"Is it a mission?" he sheepishly questioned.

Tegami nodded, "Yes. It is related to the recent murder of the carpenter from Otafuku Gai."

The older Jonin frowned, "I see. Well, I'll be done in a minute." With a smile, he invited her in again but she refused, saying she would wait downstairs.

A short while later, the two were entering the Hokage's office, awaiting instructions for their upcoming mission. Kakashi handed in his report but Tsunade quickly dismissed it.

"There's something else I'm worried about right now," she said, "our targets might change their headquarters if they find out what happened to their pawn. We need to act, and fast."

"So what's our mission?" Kakashi asked.

"Your mission consists of two parts. For the first one, I need you, Kakashi, to pass for the imprisoned suspect and complete his errand. I'll have an ANBU team secretly accompany you. The purpose of this mission is gathering as much information as possible. Make sure you won't do anything that will alarm our targets."

The man nodded, "I understand. I'll have to meet up with the prisoner first, though."

"At the same time, Tegami," Tsunade continued, "I want you to find their base in Otafuku Gai and infiltrate it. Keep an eye on them and stick to the organization in case they decide to change locations. Try to collect as much intelligence as you can. Don't report back to me if it's risky. I just want to be permanently aware of their whereabouts."

Tegami simply nodded, without saying anything.

"That's all. Leave tonight as soon as the sun sets. Kakashi, Shizune will take you to the prisoner. You'll meet your teammates at the gate, before your departure. That's it for now."

The two shinobi left in silence. Once outside, Kakashi put his hands in his pockets and sighed. "And here I was hoping to get a good night's rest. Looks like I have to reschedule it."

Tegami chuckled, "That is too bad, Kakashi-san. I feel truly sorry for you."

Kakashi glanced at the female next to him with curiosity. He had known her for a while and she was more than an acquaintance to him but there were still times when he found her mysterious.

She never once complained, nor did she ever share her troubles with anyone. She was a mystified existence, with no pillars to support her but still solid and durable. Tegami had had no personal motivation to become a shinobi, she only followed into her twin brother's steps, just to be close to him.

Things changed, however, as she grew up both physically and mentally. Being a shinobi was not only a job that assured her a decent living, but also something that brought out her qualities for which she was admired and appreciated.

"I wonder why Lady Tsunade wanted to see us together, although she gave us different tasks," Kakashi broke the heavy silence that had settled between them.

"She must have had her reasons," Tegami calmly said, "we will surely find out tonight."

"True." Kakashi gazed up at the darkening sky. "Well, I should be on my way if I don't want to be late. See you in a couple of hours, Tegami-san." He held up his hand as a greeting before disappearing in a puff of smoke. Tegami respectfully bowed in return and went back home, to the domains of the Shishatori clan.

III.

The domains of the Shishatori clan consisted entirely of a wild forest, stretching out towards the sunrise, enclosing a dark blue lake which served as training ground for the seven lucky kids blessed with the clan's kekkei genkai every seven years—the Shichi Fukujin.

Born in the year of the Shichi Fukujin, Tegami had unfortunately not inherited the kekkei genkai from her grandparents, unlike her twin brother. Kitte had successfully managed to reach his grandfather's expectations and had risen through the ranks until his recent promotion to ANBU Captain.

Tegami, on the other hand, had stuck with her position as Tokubetsu Jonin for the past five years, ever since she got promoted shortly after her 20th birthday. She had specialized in delivery type missions and negotiation. She was one of Konoha's best talkers and, not to mention, liars.

Having grown from a fat kid into a sexually attractive woman, Tegami has been constantly suffering of a body complex, which caused her to be so distant and introverted. But despite her secluded inner core, Tegami displayed a warm and accessible attitude, often misinterpreted because of her excessive politeness. She used honorifics and formal speech with everyone, except for her brother, which made her seem cold sometimes.

Well aware of the effect her physical appearance had on most men, Tegami had developed her own strategy, involving mostly the art of seduction. Thus, her ninja outfit differed greatly from her casual, loose clothes, meant to conceal her curves. It hugged her tightly, emphasizing her silhouette without revealing too much.

Dressed as such, Tegami was examining herself in the full-length mirror attached to her wardrobe door as she tied the wide, purple obi around her waist. She'd already put on her plated, yet fingerless long gloves and metal protectors on not only her forearms, but also her shins. She wore a mesh bodysuit underneath her short and sleeveless turtleneck dress, which covered the upper parts of her legs and arms. Her extremely long hair was pulled up in a bun, secured with two traditional hairpins made from senbon. At last she added the finishing touches, a sword on her right hip, a dark purple kunai pouch on her left thigh and a larger pouch, containing food pills, shuriken, poison vials and a small scroll, at her back.

Adjusting her headband one last time, she grabbed her backpack and left. Downstairs, in the kitchen, her grandparents were having tea while discussing family matters. The old woman smiled at her granddaughter and stood up to kiss her cheeks and give her blessing before Tegami set out.

"Thank you, Grandmother," Tegami smiled tenderly then bowed to her grandfather. He acknowledged her with a nod and waited with his right eye closed—the other was covered by a black patch—until he heard the front door slam shut before resuming his drinking.

"Yukio, you should give more love to your granddaughter," his wife scolded him.

"You're too gentle, Momoe," he reprimanded, taking a sip from his cup.

Momoe calmly put hers down before replying, "I disagree. You are exaggerating. Treating her harshly will not do her any good."

The old man grinned, "It brought Kitte among the ANBU."

"Oh, please." Momoe's expression hardened, "Please do not compare the two. Kitte is Kitte, while Tegami is Tegami. End of discussion."

Yukio stifled his dissatisfaction by gulping down his tea. He only dared to let out a snort after leaving the kitchen. He used to train and go on dangerous missions with this woman he ended up marrying. He had a strong personality but so did she and it was still a mystery for themselves and those around them how they managed to hit it off in spite of constantly arguing.

With a sigh, he retreated in his room and got ready to sleep, not without secretly murmuring a prayer for his granddaughter.

IV.

Kakashi was the last one to arrive at the village. Tegami and a small group of ANBU were waiting for him. He was wearing his usual outfit and carrying his usual backpack.

"Sorry I'm late. I had to practice my transformation a couple of times," he excused himself.

"It's all right," one of the ANBU replied, " we should set off now. Our destination is a border village, to the north-east. Near the Land of Hot Water."

Tegami's ears perched up upon hearing the name of Kakashi's destination but she kept quiet. What use would it be to tell them that they were going to her home village? This was an official assignment and she couldn't ask them to check on her mother and stepfather, whose she bore.

"Tegami-san, you'll be traveling alone," the same ANBU said as she turned to her, "Good luck."

She nodded and left first, without another word. The road to Otafuku Gai was short but her preparations would take up more time. She was a natural when it came to undercover missions, such as this one, but she still needed to closely plan ahead of her, regardless of the situation.

Therefore, she hurried through the trees, in the dark night, to reach the entertainment-filled city where, supposedly, a criminal organization had its headquarters.

V.

Tegami checked in at a cheap hotel where many different people gathered. She turned the key in the lock twice then closed the shutters of the window. After thoroughly inspecting the whole room, she lay a map of Otafuku on her bed and emptied out her backpack. She changed into a flower-patterned short kimono and put on a pair of wooden sandals. She put the hairpins in her pouch and let her brown hair flow freely down her back. She circled a few location on the map with a pencil then put it back in her backpack, along with her other belongings. She applied some make-up, bright red lipstick and pink blush.

Tegami's infiltration plan had two stages. Stage one: ask people around and find the headquarters. Stage two: find a proper way to get in, either pretend to be an assassin wishing to join them or stick to the boss as a girl from the pleasure quarter. Whatever was fine with her, for as long as it worked. However, she only had one shot at it—if she took on one role, she couldn't do the other.

All dolled up, Tegami set some traps in her room, threw her backpack under the bed and went out in the city, looking for fun. Dressed up like a futuristic geisha, holding a colored fan in one of her hands, Tegami totally became another person. She forgot all her inhibitions and switched to a party-girl mode which would enable her to get in contact with gossiping people. It was much more efficient than using shinobi skills to spy on them from the darkness.

Wandering through the streets, brightly lit although it was long past midnight, Tegami finally ended up in a noisy bar where drunken men were feeling up half-naked women and blabbering perverted nonsense to them.

Tegami blended in easily with the crowd. With a wide, sly smile beaming on her face, she grabbed a stool and ordered a fancy drink. The bartender grinned as he brought her a bottle and a glass and started a conversation.

"Hello, pretty. Your face's new."

She grinned too, "I'm just passin' by. That a problem?" She sipped her drink without taking her eyes off him. Her behavior and manner of speech were complete opposites to what they had been just a few hours before.

"No problem, darlin'. Got some business around here?"

Tegami pondered her answer with a pout, "Business, yeah, you could call them that." She gulped down the alcohol and poured herself another glass. Bringing her hand to the red obi holding her kimono in place, she revealed a sheathed dagger and placed it on the counter, without letting go of its handle.

The bartender's eyes flicked from her face to the weapon then back to her face, then he leaned forward, on his forearms. "If you're in for some dangerous business," he nodded his head towards the exit, "you got the wrong place, bitch. I'm not dealin' with scanty losers."

Her eyes narrowed. She had to be cautious with her next move otherwise her cover would be blown. The man was obviously suspicious. Usually, bartenders give tips to clients looking for a fight but this one was kicking her out. Her sensitive nose smelled something rotten. She'd hit the jackpot from the first try but if she wasn't careful, she could lose it. There was just one explanation for his attitude: he was the gateway to the criminals meant to filter out the imposters like herself.

Her whole thought process lasted but a second. In the end, she retreat her weapon while gazing at his hand with a smirk. She gulped down the second glass as well but didn't pour another one. She raised her head slowly, feigning a cool demeanor, offended by the guy's comments.

"I see…I see what you're tryin' to dig. But you got the wrong the chick to call bitch, you asshole. I come here lookin' for fun and ya totally ruin my mood. Is that your way to run this rat hole?"

Her fierce orbs stared into his confused ones for longer than a minute. The whole place was loud but those couldn't hear anything around them anymore. It was a psychological battle, who would break down first. The experienced bartender proved to be a worthy opponent, for he refused to give up. He didn't even blink.

Unexpectedly, Tegami was the first one to surrender. "Ok, ya win." She finished up her third glass and stood up. "I'll find someone else willing to deal with a _scanty loser_." She said in such a voice that the bartender grimaced. "Ya don' know what you're missin' out."

With her back turned, she waved at him and walked away. Strategically shielding her face with her hair, she glanced around herself, expecting to find someone glaring at her, other than the man at the counter. And she did. At the far back of the pub there was a solitary man, accompanied by just one woman, sipping elegantly from a saké cup. The voluptuous woman was cuddled at his exposed chest. His legs were crossed and he wore sunglasses, lowered on his nose.

Inwardly, Tegami chuckled. She turned around and left, aiming for the exit. No one seemed to even notice her presence. She slipped out like a shadow and quietly wandered away from the main street, to a darker, dead-end alley. She mentally smiled. The perfect scenario. Someone was going to show up sooner or later, asking her what she was doing there and where she had come from.

Her predictions soon came true. As she was standing in front of the high wall blocking the alley, loud steps came rushing in and a pair of arms grabbed Tegami from behind. An unseen fist punched her cheek and a leg kneed her stomach. Fingers tangled in her hair and pulled her head up. The man from the bar crouched in front of her.

"What are you doing here and where did you come from? I don't tolerate amateurs."

She spat out some blood and tried to speak but ended up coughing. The man gave a signal and the hand let her go. Propping herself on her palms, she managed to sit up. "They call me Yoi," she muttered, "but I don' expect ya to have heard of the name."

Following an unseen order, the same pair of arms as before picked her up like a potato sack and carried her away. Tegami's plan had progressed faster than expected. She had completely skipped stage one and successfully accomplished stage two. Things couldn't have been better.


	2. A Miraculous Salvation

I.

The sun was already up in the sky when Kakashi's team made it to their destination. The village was a small one, with more inns than personal residences. Kakashi's goal was the Miyamoto Restaurant, owned by a Miyamoto Ryuunosuke, known to the villagers as one hell of a businessman.

As instructed by the real Jun, held captive in Konoha, Kakashi took a room at an inn across the restaurant, from where he could see its front door clearly. There, he had to wait until a red-haired man came out smoking. Kakashi was to go out and to the restaurant only after the man finished his cigarette and went back in.

The ANBU were carefully hiding all around the rendezvous location but they couldn't intervene unless the situation asked for it. Kakashi had comfortably positioned himself by the window, keeping a watchful eye on the individuals going to and fro before the restaurant.. Many of them were Konoha shinobi which made him wonder why a bunch of criminals would choose such a place for a secret delivery. But then again, it would only cause their pursuers to drop their guard, expecting the place to be very safe.

Lunchtime had already passed when Kakashi finally noticed someone resembling Jun's description. A short and fat man, with a bundle of unkempt red hair in the middle of his bald head, came out of the Miyamoto Restaurant, holding a cigarette in between his stubby fingers and looked around himself nervously. If he could be called a 'red-haired man', Kakashi didn't know. But for the past six hours, he was the first man to come out and smoke by himself.

Gathering his determination, he exited the inn and began his impersonation as soon as he entered the restaurant. The red-haired man was sitting at a table in the middle, with nothing more than an empty plate before him, fidgeting like a school-boy preparing to confess to his long time crush.

"Jun!" a strong voice called from somewhere behind the fat man. Kakashi's eyes darted towards the source of the sound instinctively and caught sight of a smiling woman waving at him.

The fat man turned around and frowned. He then kept looking back and forth between Kakashi and the woman until he couldn't take it anymore. He stood up at the same time as the woman and walked over to Kakashi, grabbing his arm roughly and dragging him to the woman's table.

"Sit down!" he hissed.

Kakashi obeyed. The woman was still smiling while the fat man was still fidgeting. He placed a trembling fist on the table and revealed a crumpled piece of paper. The woman took it and smoothed it out before holding it close to her eyes to read it. She then handed it to Kakashi.

"Well, Jun, do you have it?" she asked in a sweet voice.

Kakashi quickly scanned the paper. On it were written a few nonsensical words which he perceived as a code. Fortunately, the real Jun had been very thorough with his instructions, thus Kakashi was able to give a positive reply:

"Yes, it's right here."

He took out something from his kimono and placed it on the table. The woman didn't pay attention to the small, velvety bag as she was inspecting her nails. The fat man, instead, couldn't take his eyes off it and snatched it fast, afraid of having left it too much in the open.

The woman smiled again, "Well, the deal's done." She held out her hand for the men to shake but Kakashi didn't fall for the trap. He'd been informed that he should ignore stretched out hands and bow instead.

So he took her hand and shook it. The suspicious glint in the woman's eyes vanished and she hugged him warmly. "See you, Jun-chan!" she cooed as she left together with the fat man. Kakashi waved back at her and caught the flying kiss she had sent him.

Once they were out of sight, he sat back down with a sigh and ordered something to eat. He had expected some of the information that he had been given to be wrong—such as the handshake thing—but he could have only dreamed of everything to go so smoothly. Fortunately, he was prompt and cautious and managed to avoid making a mess. Unfortunately, he couldn't find out much. From then on he had to solely count on the ANBU team who had already set out on the chase.

"Here is your order, sir," a green eyed woman said as she placed a bowl on the table. She gave him a kind smile before leaving. Something about her features seemed oddly familiar but he couldn't really tell why.

"Yoshie-chan!" one of the many shinobi called and the woman immediately made her way to him. "Yoshie-chan, Yuuma gave me some letters for you. Do you have anything for him? I'm heading back tomorrow morning."

Her beautiful green eyes lit up as she took the envelopes. Nodding, she took out two letters from her obi and passed them to him.

He checked the names of the recipients and pouted, "Miyamoto Tegami and Miyamoto Kitte. Why do you never send Yuuma any letters?"

Kakashi became suddenly more interested.

Yoshie smiled as she wiped her forehead with a white napkin she was carrying, "I have no interest in Yuuma anymore, I only care about my children. I'm married, remember."

The man sighed but didn't reply and put the letters in his pocket. "Well, I'm sure the kids will be happy to hear from you."

Yoshie went on to another table while Kakashi was still pondering on the scene he'd just witnessed. Just then did he realize the coincidence between the restaurant's name and Tegami's last name. He'd known that, although a member of the Shishatori clan, she bore a different name, he also knew the reason for it. But he would have never thought that he had ended up in the restaurant where her mother worked—and which was probably owned by her step-father.

Baffled by this strange turn of events, Kakashi ate his meal in silence and returned to his room half an hour later. And, as there was nothing more he could do, he grabbed his stuff and undid his transformation soon after he checked out. His journey was soon interrupted, however, as a poisoned needle struck his neck and left him lying unconscious on the ground.

II.

Dimly lit and humid, the basement of one of the pubs from Otafuku served as a prison for not only Tegami but also Kakashi, whose scheme had been seen through and who'd been knocked out by a spy supervising him as soon as he left the Miyamoto Restaurant.

Tegami lay on the floor, tied up and breathing heavily. Her body was covered in bruises and scratches and the blood at the corner of her mouth had already coagulated. Her kimono was ripped and her hair was a mess, obscuring her face. Kakashi, on the other hand, was all well, other than the fact that he was trying to fight off the paralyzing after effects of the anesthetic shot at him.

The door suddenly burst open and the man with sunglasses from the bar stomped in furiously, directly towards Tegami. He slapped her awake and took hold of her hair, shaking the exhaustion out of her. Her eyes slid open with difficulty.

"Nice one trying to fool us, bitch!" he spat and dragged her out. He completely ignored Kakashi, who was faking to be asleep.

As soon as the door was closed again, Kakashi opened his eyes and looked around himself. There was nothing of importance to be noticed other than a few stains of blood. Through his eyelashes, he'd seen a wounded Tegami being forcefully taken out and so assumed that the blood had come from her since he had no external injuries.

He tried to move but his limbs were still numb. He let out a desperate sigh. There was nothing he could do in that situation and he feared that the mission might have been compromised because of him. Tracing back his actions, he attempted to figure out what he had done wrong and who could have struck him down.

Among all the blurring events rewinding in his mind, one in particular stood out: the cheerful woman from the restaurant who concealed her glare as she stretched out her hand. Kakashi was afraid to believe that _that_ was his wrongdoing since he had been told what to do, yet did the exact opposite. At that moment, he had been certain that the woman was bluffing and he had expected from the very beginning to have been at least a bit misled.

Was that his mistake? He sincerely hoped not. If it indeed was, he would never be able to forgive himself.

III.

Tegami was plopped down on a chair and had a bucket of water thrown at her. She was partly grateful for it, as it washed her face and brought her back to her senses, but on the other hand, her vision was blurry because she couldn't wipe her eyes. Nevertheless, she struggled to distinguish the figures standing in front of her and make out what they were saying.

From as much as she could tell there were four or five men in the room—she wasn't sure whether that heap in the far left corner was a crouched man or an armchair. One of them, quite slender and not so tall, was staring intently at her, not too far away, while the other three were waiting on the sidelines. It appeared that the man in the middle was the one from the pub, thus meaning that the other two, armed with swords and knives, were his guards.

"Are you sure it's her?" the man from the pub—who Tegami supposed was the highest in command around there, the boss—asked the one who was staring at her.

"Yes, sir," was his short reply.

The other three came to him, forming some sort of conference. The slender man was saying, "I'm certain it's her. Last time I saw her, she was wearing something else and her face was prettier but I'm sure it's the same girl."

The boss nodded.

"So what do we do?" one of his guards asked, "Should we kill her?"

The boss took his time thinking. Finally he answered, "No. She doesn't know much, anyway. It'd be such a waste." His rough features contorted into a sly smirk. "Everything will go as initially planned," he continued, "but we'll add a few obstacles to our race. Konoha will be in a daze by the time we move out."

The slender man listened carefully to his boss. His gaze was the most focused and he seemed the most intelligent out of them all—and most silent.

"Are you sure it's all right to let her live?" the same guard as before asked again.

His boss gave him an irritated look, "If I say so, then it is. Better yet, it's going to work to our advantage. The attack will happen as scheduled, on the 19th of next month." His henchmen looked at him strangely but didn't dare to comment. "As for her, throw her out together with the other guy."

"Why?" the curious guard protested, "He knows about our rendezvous location and has seen the faces of two of our messengers. If it hadn't been for Hisashi, we could've gotten in trouble." The slender man glanced at the guard briefly.

The boss brought a hand to his forehead to hold in his anger. If the guy hadn't been an outstanding fighter, he would have got rid of him long ago. "Yes, Hisashi did a very good job. But we got what we wanted and also eliminated our pursuers. For the time being, we're safe."

Hisashi cut the rope on Tegami's hands and helped her to her feet.

"Are you sure it's all right not to change the plans for the attack? I'm sure the Hokage will be on guard now."

The boss couldn't even reply to his guard anymore. He merely sent him a deadly glare and walked off, ahead of Hisashi. The slender man was carefully supporting Tegami, holding his arm firmly around her back without forcing her to take quick steps. He matched his to her pace until they were out in a dark hallway where he lifted her up in his arms.

Tegami was then convinced that her cover had been blown. She'd correctly guessed that the man who knew their rendezvous location and who, in the guard's opinion, should have been killed was Kakashi. He was probably her cellmate with the even breathing.

Moreover, it was a fact that the mission had failed, both hers and Kakashi's, but she still had to find out why their lives were spared. She also deduced that the ANBU had been killed which caused her the greatest worry. If this Hisashi had been the one to capture Kakashi, it implied that he was the one to 'eliminate the pursuers'. In other words he was a strong opponent.

A strong opponent who, apparently, knew her from somewhere. Tegami never anticipated being recognized. The weirder thing was that she didn't know the guy. Neither his appearance, nor his voice seemed familiar to her.

After a few minutes of walking, a blinding light hit Tegami's face and it got even brighter as they advanced. Hisashi put her down near a tree, resting her back against its trunk. Before he left, Tegami managed to open her eyes wide enough to clearly see him.

He was tall, but not so tall, probably taller than her but not taller than her brother. He bore no expression, his gray eyes were blank and his tan skin obscured his countenance. His bleached hair was short and shaggy. He had a small nose, a sharp chin and plump lips. He wore a black tank top and a pair of ankle-long pants. Other than a sword hung over his shoulder, he carried no other weapon.

"There's something I would like to know," he said out of the blue, "your real name."

Tegami would have snorted but her condition didn't allow her to. She kept quiet.

"I see," he murmured and knelt before her, bringing his thumb to her mouth. He wiped the dirt and dried blood around her lips then pushed her hair out of her eyes.

Seconds later, the two guards came with Kakashi and dumped him on the grass, near his fellow shinobi. Afterwards, all three men departed, leaving the two alone in their misery.

Kakashi waited for a minute before crawling over to his colleague, "Tegami-san, are you all right?" He touched her forehead to check her temperature. "Can you speak?"

She nodded and tried to stand up. Although Kakashi was still having trouble moving, he scrambled to his feet in a hurry to keep her from falling. "Please don't worry about me," she meekly told him, holding up a hand. "I came prepared for such a thing to happen. I never thought my identity would be exposed, though."

There was a knot in his stomach as he spoke, "I'm sorry, I failed to accomplish my task. That was probably—"

"No, you are not at fault, someone recognized me."

He frowned, "Do you know who it was?"

"A man named Hisashi, most likely in his early or mid-twenties. I cannot be very sure, I'm afraid. He was quite the expressionless fellow." She took a step forward, holding on to her injured right arm.

"Let me help you," Kakashi offered, touching her shoulder. He quickly drew back his hand, though, as Tegami grimaced in pain. "We should tend to your wounds first."

"I agree. My injured self will slow us down. I have rented a room at a cheap hotel here, assuming we still find ourselves in Otafuku Gai. All my things are there, including a medical kit."

"I'll go check the area. Please rest for a while."

Kakashi made sure she sat back down before going off. The ANBU who'd been accompanying them were probably dead since they hadn't come to his rescue. He decided to summon Pakkun and ask for backup from the village. Otafuku Gai was just a short way from Konoha—and he soon confirmed that they were indeed somewhere in Otafuku.

IV.

By the time Kakashi and Tegami had made it into the latter's hotel room, a team of Konoha shinobi was already almost there. Tegami suggested waiting for the medical nin, for she did not wish to trouble him, so Kakashi had no choice but to leave her be. Unable to watch her suffer and simply stand by, he went in for a shower. He was still drying his hair with a towel when Sakura and Shizune came bursting into the room.

"Tegami-san!" Sakura exclaimed in awe. Her eyes had widened in shock. Shizune, on the other hand, was nothing more than sad. She had seen the Tokubetsu Jonin so many times under such circumstances that she couldn't be amazed anymore. Getting beaten to a pulp was a job inconvenience Tegami had already accustomed herself to.

"There are no broken bones," Sakura stated, astonished, after a preliminary checkup. "Tegami-san, you're amazing."

_Practice makes perfect,_ Kakashi thought as he exited the room and joined the rest of the backup team outside.

Shizune and Sakura came out half an hour later with a clean and neatly patched up Tegami. The three women and Kakashi headed back home while the backup ANBU stayed behind to investigate a little longer. Tegami didn't forget to warn them about Hisashi, giving them a detailed description of what he looked like and notifying them that a couple of their own had died by his hand.

For Kakashi and his female companions the journey back home took longer than usual because the two doctors strictly forbade the wounded Tegami to exert herself. They were welcomed at the gate by the Hokage herself whose inquisitive eyes were enough to get Tegami started on her verbal report:

"I apologize, Lady Tsunade, but I have failed my mission." She tried to bow but a pang in her stomach hindered her. "However, I have managed to memorize a few faces which, I believe, may be important." Tsunade was biting her lip nervously at this point. "I also overheard a discussion regarding their future plans but they did not reveal any significant details. They did mention a date, though."

Tsunade was suddenly very tensed.

"He said, their boss over there," Tegami continued, "he said that 'everything will go as initially planned' and that they would 'add more obstacles to their race'. Something was said about an attack, meant to take place on the 19th of next month but I don't know what kind of attack."

"We should head towards the hospital now," Shizune intervened as Tegami began to have trouble breathing.

"Wait, just a moment," Tegami protested, "There was something else, about the Hokage. One of the boss's bodyguards said that if they don't change their plans for attack, 'the Hokage will be on guard now'." She exhaled slowly and attempted to even her breathing.

"You did well," Tsunade placidly said, "we'll talk once your condition has stabilized.


	3. A Troublesome Letter

I.

Tegami had been in the hospital for just a couple of hours when Kakashi came to visit her, bringing along a bouquet of white carnations. Her grandmother was sitting by her side in a chair next to her bed. He apologized for intruding but the old woman didn't seem to mind and left the two alone.

Tegami's face was paler than usual—or at least the parts that weren't bruised. Other than her cheeks and the tips of her fingers, there was no other bit of skin exposed. It was either bandaged or covered up by clothing. In most of the cases, both applied.

Kakashi arranged the flowers in a vase and took the still warm seat. He felt guilty and even told her about it. But she quickly dismissed his words, "I have told you before, Kakashi-san, the fault is not yours. I have been through this before. It's a risk I have to assume every time I go on undercover missions."

"I understand that, but still…" His gaze lowered to her wrapped up hands. He suddenly had an urge to caress and comfort them but he knew how uneasy she was towards such physical contact. He settled on clenching his fists instead. "I'm really sorry I couldn't be of any use."

Tegami smiled, avoiding his eyes. "If it helps you at all, then you should know that I probably would not have made it out alive, had it not been for you." Her voice gradually turned into a whisper.

Kakashi didn't know what to make of her reaction so he looked around himself to find a new topic of conversation. His eyes immediately fell on the flowers. "Uh…I…I hope you like carnations," he awkwardly said.

She looked at the white carnations with a candid smile on her lips, "Yes, I do. They're really beautiful."

Kakashi bit back a smug grin and switched his attention to a bowl of soup on the bedside table. "Sorry, did I interrupt your meal?"

"Miso soup is not one of my particular favorites but it appears that I must eat it," she explained with a sigh.

Kakashi seemed surprised, "You don't like miso soup?"

Tegami shook her head, "I can eat it if I have to but I would rather not. I think that it is because I have been hospitalized so many times and my basic meal is always miso." She chuckled. "Grandmother Momoe always cooks it for me when I'm sick."

Kakashi took the bowl, with less than a few spoonfuls of soup remaining. "Can't you endure it little longer? There's not much left."

Tegami gulped, abstaining from a negative answer. Instead, she held out her hands to take the bowl but she was trembling too much. A bit embarrassed, she hid her fists under the blanket.

He looked troubled as he offered to help. Tegami reluctantly agreed. Kakashi carefully brought the spoon to her mouth, even wiping her chin afterwards. Such a situation was rather uncomfortable for them, even though they had been good friends for quite some time.

Maybe it was because of the distance Tegami put between herself and most males. She didn't have a phobia or anything of the sort but she was more cautious than most because of something that had happened to her in the past. Eight years have since passed but the memories of being fooled and made fun of by someone she cared about—and who she thought cared about her—were still painful and had created a shield around her heart. Ever since, she had been more dedicated to her job as a shinobi and more determined to do something for herself, something to set her apart from the crowd and increase her self-esteem.

"Well, it wasn't that bad, now was it?" Kakashi gave her an eye-smile as he put the empty bowl back on the bedside table.

Tegami gulped down the last bit of soup and nodded. "Can you please give me the water? It's over there." She pointed to the window sill.

Kakashi stood up and brought her the bottle. There was no more awkwardness between them. Tegami had somehow loosened up. "Thank you," she timidly murmured. "Did you report to the Hokage?"

He had the same impassive expression as usual and his hands in his pockets as he replied, "Yeah, I did. They're bringing together all the data they have, trying to figure out what's actually going on and thinking of a new plan." He sighed, "I hope it works out soon."

"I hope, too," she said in a guilt-ridden voice.

II.

Miyamoto Kitte was one of the most cheerful and selfless guys of Konoha. However, in spite of his admirable personality traits, he often came off as a happy fool which didn't quite appeal to the girls. But he didn't mind. He was busy enough being an ANBU and hardly had any time left for himself and his family.

And he was a family man. There was no woman more important to him than his sister—they had a very special bond, maybe because they were twins. He cared a lot about his mother and grandmother, too, but Tegami had a distinctive place in his heart. That's why, when he heard what had happened to her, he immediately rushed to the hospital, although he had just returned from a mission.

On his way he stopped by the dango shop, buying a large bowl of anmitsu with extra ice-cream and also picked up a book from the library. He smiled thinking about how much his sister would enjoy eating the anmitsu. She was totally in love with sweets. He would have brought her some umeshu, as well, but she wasn't allowed to drink alcohol in her current state.

He headed towards her room merrily, eager to see her. Just as he was turning around the corner, he bumped into Kakashi, almost dropping the bowl. "Whoa! Hey, you, watch—" he yelled, angered, but upon recognizing the masked figure, he quickly calmed down. "Oh, Kakashi-senpai." He bowed. "Hello. I'm sorry, it's just that…" Kitte glanced suggestively at the bowl he was carrying.

"I'm guessing you came to see your sister?" Kakashi asked in his usual, nonchalant manner.

Kitte smiled widely, "Yeah, that's right. I just came back a while ago, then I hear from Izumo and Kotetsu that Tegami had just returned and was looking awful. I'm used to the sight of her hurt but I was obviously still worried! So here I am. Now if you'll excuse me."

He nodded his head as a greeting and went on, past Kakashi. The older shinobi looked after him until the sliding door closed and even a few seconds afterwards. He really wished that Tegami would recover soon. He had also decided to catch the guys who did that to her as soon as possible and punish them accordingly.

"_Hi_!" Kitte joyously exclaimed as he entered the hospital room. Tegami was lying down, her big eyes stuck to the ceiling. When she heard her brother's voice, her head immediately turned around.

"Kitte!" She struggled to sit up. "Thank you for coming."

He put his gifts on one of the bedside tables and helped his sister lean back against a pillow. "How do you feel?" he asked her, worry clear in his voice.

She nodded, "I'm fine, thank you. All better now that you're here."

He grinned. "I brought you something good. Tada!" He showed her the bowl of anmitsu. "The ice-cream kind of melted but…" Tilting his head, he handed it to her.

Tegami pouted, "You'll have to feed me, though. My hands are uncontrollable at the moment." She held up her bandaged, trembling fingers.

Kitte's gaze softened as he took her hands. His grasp was warm and gentle, filled with affection. He bent over to plant a kiss on her knuckles as his thumb was softly caressing her wrist.

"Get well soon, you have to eat anmitsu!" he spoke to the hands.

Tegami laughed, "It's not like the hands are eating it, Kitte."

"But you can't eat without your hands!"

She laughed again. Kitte's mere presence had improved her mood greatly.

"Here, say ah!"

Tegami obeyed and he flew a spoon of ice-cream to her mouth but because it had become so liquid, some of it dripped down her chin.

"Oh!" He quickly wiped it with the hem of his sleeve.

"You didn't have to do that," she scolded him, "there's a napkin over there."

Pouting, he took the napkin from underneath the bowl of soup. "Happy now?" he muttered like an upset child.

She chuckled, "Yeah."

The atmosphere was so much different from when Kakashi was there. Tegami felt more at ease in her brother's company and she allowed herself to loosen up. She never used honorifics with him thus she could relax fully. He was the man she was most comfortable with. They owed their exceptional bond not only to the fact that they grew up and trained together—even being on the same team as genin—but also to the corporal issues they used to share.

As children, they both used to be more than chubby and often got bullied because of it. But the overprotective Kitte always took his sister's side and got hit in her stead. As time passed, however, they both began to lose weight. In Kitte's case, it was because of all the training he did with his grandfather, as he was one of the Shichi Fukujin.

The Shichi Fukujin, literally the Seven Lucky Gods of Fortune, comprise of 7 different abilities which have evolved into the kekkei genkai of the Shishatori clan. Although only their father was a Shishatori, the twins had high chances to possess the kekkei genkai, because they happened to be born in the right year and both their grandparents had once been part of the Shichi Fukujin.

Kitte's Lucky God was Hotei, the fat and happy god of abundance and good health, whose persona he had completely inherited. Therefore, Kitte has grown up into a well-built man, healthy and strong. His stamina and positive attitude had made him into a good team leader and his physical strength was not something to be messed with, especially when he had his kekkei genkai activated. His tolerance to genjutsu was no joke and he knew a bunch of nature transformation jutsu, many of which worked in combos with his sister.

"You look tired," Tegami stated out of the blue, "you didn't get to rest, did you?"

Kitte had to stifle his sudden urge to yawn. He shook his hand dismissively, "I'm ok, I'm ok. Right now you should worry about _your_ well-being, not mine." He shut her mouth with some anmitsu and changed the subject. "Care to tell me 'bout your mission?"

She grimaced for a split second then broke the news to him about her failure. When she reached the part about Hisashi, his face began to darken. "What did you say his name was?" he inquired.

"Hisashi. Why, do you know him?"

"No, don't think so. So what happened after that?"

He shrugged it off easily but in fact he knew very well who Hisashi was. One of the most dangerous criminals found in an ANBU member's Bingo book.

III.

As the night was deepening, the shadows of the forest began to swallow up the small inn where a traveling shinobi was resting. The Konoha jonin who'd promised to deliver Yoshie's letters was sleeping in a room on the second floor after he had enjoyed a delicious dinner. Although he could have arrived in Konoha in just one day, he was in no hurry to return so he took his time walking and taking a tea break every now and then.

Hisashi had been tracking him for a while, waiting for the right time to fulfill his mission. And, seeing the clueless shinobi sleeping like a baby, after he had gulped down a few cups of saké, Hisashi thought that he wouldn't find a moment better than that.

He entered the room through the window, tiptoeing all the way to the jonin's bag. He rummaged through it as quietly as he could, in search of the two letters. When he finally found them, he carefully read the name of the recipients and introduced a folded piece of paper in one of the envelopes.

Once he was done with that, he made sure everything looked just like before and silently left. His next stop was the Miyamoto Restaurant.

IV.

Shishatori Yuuma was a sturdy man, with a love for women and alcohol. Even though he tried to become more responsible when he took Yoshie's children under his care, he was still in for a party whenever the opportunity arose. After all, there was nothing he had to worry about, his parents were looking so well after his children, that he was more of a friend of theirs than their father. But he didn't regret it. Tegami and Kitte had become such fine adults that he felt proud to be their father.

Yuuma was a busy man. Given his experience in the field of delivery missions, he was often assigned tasks which took him far away from his home. He was expecting the same thing that morning when he was summoned to the Hokage's office. He was checking his daughter out of the hospital, together with Kitte, when Sakura came up to them and told him that Lady Tsunade needed to talk to him.

"I'm counting on you to take your sister home," he said to Kitte. Tegami had been released after just one night in the hospital. "Make sure she rests well," he added before leaving the two alone.

However, his expectations proved to be wrong when he entered the Hokage's office and came across quite a number of individuals, such as master interrogator Ibiki, snake lady Mitarashi Anko, Copy Ninja Kakashi, a couple of ANBU and one of his jonin friends who often took letters to Yoshie from him and the children.

Surprised, he raised his brows as he said, "My gut is telling me that something big is going on here."

"Your gut is right," replied Tsunade, who was standing by the window, "I have every reason to believe that Konoha is being threatened by some unknown criminal organization which has been plotting against us for quite some time."

She turned around and looked him in the eye. Shizune handed him a file. "Do you know the place?"

Yuuma studied carefully the photograph from the file. "Yeah, sure I do." A nostalgic smile curved up his lips halfway. "It's the place where I met Yoshie 25 years ago. It's bigger but it's the same, the Miyamoto Restaurant."

Tsunade nodded, "Exactly. As you might know, your daughter Tegami and Kakashi here present," Yuuma glanced at the silver-haired jonin, "have recently been on a mission, dealing with the matter currently at hand."

"Which ended up badly," Yuuma added, "Yes, I know."

"The two had different tasks," Tsunade continued, "Tegami went to Otafuku Gai to infiltrate the criminal organization. However, her cover was blown. Kakashi went to the Miyamoto Restaurant, the rendezvous location of some pawn we caught a while ago with members of the aforementioned organization."

Yuuma was silent.

"I won't say how that went. We lost 4 men. But there's one thing bothering me." She was frowning at this point, "Some guy, by his name Hisashi, was spying on Kakashi and he also happened to know who Tegami really was. With a detailed description made by Tegami, we have managed to find out who this Hisashi is."

Yuuma searched through the papers in the file. He found one with a picture attached. The white haired man had no other name but Hisashi and there was not much known about him, other than the fact that he was wielding a sword and his abilities were on par with those of an ANBU.

"We have an eye-witness here," Tsunade pointed to Yuuma's friend. "He was there when the disguised Kakashi met up with the enemy and he told us that Hisashi was also there, at a table in a darker corner, keeping an eye on Kakashi. What I want to know is how did the Miyamoto Restaurant become a rendezvous location for a bunch of criminals."

Yuuma crossed his arms over his chest and frowned, "Well, even if you ask me that, I wouldn't know what to tell you. You see, that place has always been a stop for the shinobi heading North-East, to the Land of Hot Water or other countries beyond that because its village is the only one right on the border. These guys have some balls, daring to meet up in a place filled with ninja."

"I was thinking the same thing," Kakashi intervened, "seems unbelievable but it happened."

"Do you usually send letters to Yoshie through your friends?" Tsunade suddenly questioned.

"Yeah, when I can't make it over there myself."

"You got back some." She held up two envelopes. Yuuma went to get them.

"Hm…," he muttered, "Strange. This one's thicker. Tegami's."

"Open them," the Hokage ordered.

"What? But it's my children's private correspondence!"

Tsunade slammed her fist on her desk. "I couldn't care less whose correspondence it is! For as long as it's related to our case, I'm gonna go through everything, regardless of what it is. Now open them," she repeated.

Under her glare, Yuuma first undid the seal on Kitte's letter. He skimmed over it, concluding that it was nothing different from the usual. He then tore open Tegami's envelope. It had two separate letters in it. One of them was undoubtedly from Yoshie, he could tell it was her handwriting. The other one…

"Well?" Tsunade impatiently inquired.

Yuuma didn't hear her. He was reading the unknown letter. Following Tsunade's silent order, one of the ANBU snatched the papers from Yuuma's hands and brought them to the Hokage. She read over them quickly, coming to a halt abruptly as she was scanning Tegami's mysterious second letter.

"Bring Kitte here immediately," she told Anko, "and put Miyamoto Tegami under 24/7 surveillance starting this moment." Her second command was addressed to the ANBU.

Yuuma stared at her perplexed. Kakashi, with his hands in his pockets, was frowning. The delivering jonin was looking at his feet. Anko left with a heavy heart towards her friend's residence.


	4. An Unexpected Suspect

I.

Tegami had fallen asleep in her bed when Anko arrived. She found Kitte holding his sister's hand and watching over her tenderly.

"Sorry to bother but Lady Tsunade is looking for you," she whispered in his ear.

Kitte looked troubled, "Why?"

"Just come!" she urged him.

He kissed his sister's forehead before letting go of her hand with utmost care. He then followed Anko outside.

"Listen, I probably shouldn't be telling you this," she began, "but I think you would have noticed it yourself later."

"What is it?" Kitte was not only curious, but also concerned. Anko's voice was foreboding.

"Lady Tsunade just had Tegami put under constant surveillance. It's because of some letters your mother sent."

Kitte didn't say anything. He was confused and felt offended. Tegami was one of the most righteous persons he knew and his mother was a naïve and innocent woman. He couldn't fathom such a situation.

Anko, too, wasn't in a good mood. She was Tegami's best female friend, due to the taste for sweets they shared, and she didn't like this unusual twist of events. What could possibly be the contents of those letters? The two women often hung out together, be it to the dango shop or some bar, and such times always asked for a chat. And even though Tegami was reserved in her speech, she relayed a lot to her fellow Tokubetsu Jonin friend, either cheered up by some dango or warmed up by a cup of saké.

Therefore, she was just as shocked and displeased by the Hokage's decision as Kitte and his father. But she didn't dare to protest just yet. She didn't know the reasons why Tsunade became suddenly wary of Tegami.

II.

My dear Tegami,

It's been a while but I hope you haven't forgotten me. I am now writing to you in a state of despair. I miss you so much, my darling. Please don't hate me for sending you this letter through your father. Worry not, I have not harmed him. He willingly complied to my request as he owes me a great favor.

You might be wondering what reason I have for suddenly contacting you like this. You see, I'm very troubled and I need to hear your advice as soon as possible. You know that assassination plot we've been planning? It finally came together and I will get to it early next month, more specifically on the 7th.

Now here comes my problem: one of our men got killed. I wouldn't be bothered that much, had that man not been an important piece to our puzzle. I'm talking about the carpenter who was helping us smuggle weapons. Unfortunately, some of your own—cursed Konoha shinobi—caught on to his object of trade and tried to apprehend him but Hisashi fortunately silenced him in time.

But that is not the end of it. Jun, who was in charge of meeting up with our northern allies, was caught while he was having tea at the carpenter's house. That bastard! Endangering our whole operation like that. Sadly, Hisashi couldn't kill him. His first strike got the ANBU on their toes and they efficiently protected Jun.

Now, what should I do? I'm certain they'll be questioning Jun in any way possible and that stupid weakling will definitely give in easily. Even though he doesn't know much, I'm still worried. Who knows what those damned shinobi are going to do.

Please look into the matter for me. I'm begging you, my sweet, sweet love. I need you. I'm not asking for too much, am I? I hope you understand.

Forever yours,

Shuryou.

III.

Kitte had to make use of all of his self-control not to tear the letter apart as he read it. "What kind of nonsense is this?" His voice was cold and even.

"It's a letter that was sent to your sister. Your father found in the envelope on which her name was written," Tsunade calmly explained. "Do you recognize the handwriting?"

"No, it doesn't belong to my mother, nor my step-father. You really believe that this is true?"

"Well, some of the information is accurate. Such as the carpenter's death and Jun's apprehension. Hisashi's name is also mentioned and now that we know of his existence, it's more likely than not that he was the one who killed that carpenter. It is also true that Jun almost died." The Hokage was still composed, although she was boiling on the inside.

"This," he shook the paper he was holding, "is nothing more than—than a fake meant to incriminate my sister and make things complicated. This makes it seem like my sister is—" He had to swallow a knot in his throat to be able to say the word. "Is that guy's lover. Which could never, ever happen. Tegami is…Tegami is a difficult woman."

Tsunade stood up and looked out the window, "I, too, have my suspicions regarding the authenticity of that letter but we will only be able to find out after conducting a proper investigation."

"You'll be wasting your time," Kitte protested, "my sister could never…She's innocent."

The Hokage turned around and glared at him, "If she is innocent, we'll know once we're done investigating."

He was clenching his fists so tightly that blood began dripping along his white knuckles.

"I'm doing you a favor, Kitte. I'll let you handle your step-father and his family but if you do anything unnecessary—"

"I'll behave, I promise," he cut her off.

"Good," she nodded, "now assemble your team and go get him."

"Yes, ma'am"

IV.

The following day, at about noon, the Miyamotos were all being interrogated at the same time, but separately. Ibiki was personally handling the head of the family, Miyamoto Ryuunosuke, Yoshie's husband and the twins' step-father.

"Miyamoto-san, will you please introduce yourself?" Ibiki began.

The questioned man was frowning, his forehead ridded. His ruffled brown hair had been carelessly cut while his face looked like he hadn't shaved in a while.

"Yeah, well, my name's Miyamoto Ryuunosuke, age 50, but I suppose you know all that very well already." He scratched his head nonchalantly, "I was born and grew in Fire Country, somewhere in a small village on the border with the Land of Hot Water. I own a restaurant which was handed down to me from my father. It's been around ever since my granddad built it up."

Ibiki wasn't very much interested in this trivial information but it was a routine start. Another shinobi next to him was checking with a file but Ibiki knew that Ryuunosuke wouldn't lie at the beginning. He looked like a man who had had to deal problematic matters before and had already got the hang of it. Ibiki was focused instead on his eyes and gestures, which gave away more than the mouth.

"Miyamoto-san, do you know that you're being called 'one hell of a businessman' by your fellow villagers?" the master interrogator asked.

Ryuunosuke grinned, "I had no idea."

"Why do you think they're calling you that?"

The man shrugged, "How should I know?"

"I'm sure you know but you don't realize that you know. Let's see…" Ibiki pondered on his choice of words. "Is there anything you've done that would give people such an impression of you?"

Ryuunosuke's grin faded. It was replaced by a frown, but different from before. This time, the man looked offended rather than thoughtful. "Again, how should I know what those bastards are thinking and how they are perceiving my work? I'm just doing anything I can for the sake of my restaurant and therefore, my and my family's survival."

It was Ibiki's turn to grin, "Specifically what, Miyamoto-san?"

"Anything!" the man avoided the question.

"If there's anything you think I should know, you'd better tell me now before things get dangerous," Ibiki insisted, "Care to share your business secrets with me or will I have to force it out?"

Ryuunosuke clenched his fists under the table. He was well aware that he shouldn't mess with shinobi but at the same time he was afraid of getting into trouble. All of a sudden, he burst, "My son! I want to see my son!"

"Your son is being questioned right now," Ibiki replied, "your whole family is."

"No, not that one! My step-son, Kitte, Miyamoto Kitte!" He leaned forward, his eyes wide. "He's a shinobi, right? I remember he's a big shot around here. I want to talk to him! Or are you interrogating him too?"

Ibiki slapped his hand on the table furiously, "Miyamoto Kitte is not your son, even though he bears your name. And we're not talking about him right now. We're talking about your business and the way you handle it!" His eyes were smoldering. "Now you'd better answer my questions when I ask them."

Ryuunosuke withdrew in his seat, in an attempt to get as far away as possible from his interlocutor. He gulped.

"Did you know that your restaurant is a rendezvous location for a criminal organization?" Ibiki's voice was calm again.

Ryuunosuke didn't reply but there was sweat dripping down his forehead.

"Did you, Miyamoto-san? Were you aware of that fact?"

The man gulped, "Not really. I don't care what my customers are doing in my restaurant, other than paying for their food. I do know that there are a lot of shinobi around. It'd be difficult to miss that."

"You'd better tell the truth, Miyamoto-san."

"I am telling the truth!" he exclaimed.

"Are you, really?" Ibiki took a paper from one of his comrades and pushed it across the table to Ryuunosuke. "Do you recognize the handwriting?"

The man shook his head, "It looks like a letter addressed to my step-daughter but it's not my wife's handwriting."

"Still," Ibiki intervened, "it was found in the envelope in which your wife's letter was."

"Then you should ask her about it." Ryuunosuke put down the letter with shaky hands.

"We did, just a minute ago. She has no idea who could have written it or sneakily put it in the envelope—she was 100% sure that she had put only _one_ letter in." Ibiki's piercing gaze was becoming heavier and heavier. Ryuunosuke's troubled eyes kept switching from one thing to another but never fell on the jonin's face.

Ibiki sighed, "Why are you making things difficult for me, Miyamoto-san? I'm a busy man and I'd like to preserve my energy. But you don't really give me a choice." He stood up, sighing again, and motioned to a couple of jonin to tie Ryuunosuke up.

Once the shinobi ganged up on him, the man ran scared and was suddenly willing to talk, "Wait. Wait! I'll…I'll tell you, just…just…don't hurt me." He was sweating more than before and obviously swallowing his tears.

Ibiki sat back down with a nod, "Let me hear it."

Ryuunosuke was wringing his hands, "I…that letter…They told me to…"

"Who are 'they'?"

He briefly glanced at the scarred man and got even more frightened, "Loan sharks, I don't know. I borrowed some money from them when my restaurant was in trouble and they kept asking me for favors ever since."

"Like allowing them to hang around in your restaurant?"

The man nodded, "I was surprised to see that the number of clients suddenly increased. It was strange. The clients themselves were strange, too. Shuryou once came to me and—"

"Shuryou?" The name piqued Ibiki's interest.

"Yeah, the boss." Ryuunosuke licked his lips nervously.

"So you all just call him Shuryou?" The man nodded. "But that's not his real name?"

He shook his head, "I don't think anyone knows his real name, though. They all call him different things but the meaning is still 'boss'."

Ibiki looked disappointed. "So what's with the letter?"

Ryuunosuke wiped his ridded forehead with the back of his hand. "The letter…yeah. They asked me to put it in Tegami's envelope."

"Who did?"

"Some…some white-haired guy who's always around on some errand."

"Doesn't he have a name?" Ibiki could guess the guy's identity but he wanted to make sure.

"Hi…Hi-something. Ashi…Hiashi, maybe. Or something like that."

Ibiki was frowning as he intently stared at Ryuunosuke. Something was bothering him about the man's answers but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He'd have to wait for the investigation to progress before he could take anything else out of him—the easy way, that is. So far, Ibiki had successfully managed not to make Ryuunosuke suffer, just out of consideration for Tegami. Although she had become a suspect in the case, he was still not completely convinced of her guilt. He'd worked with her numerous times and he highly doubted that this situation was not merely orchestrated.

"All right. That's it for now. Take him away." He gathered up his papers and left the interrogation room. He had to wait for the other reports, regarding the remaining members of the Miyamoto family, before he could go talk to the Hokage.

V.

"Oh, Tegami, my daughter!" Yoshie cried as she fell on her knees by Tegami's bed.

Momoe, who had been helping Tegami with her dinner, stood up and questioningly stared at the woman. She wasn't quite pleased by her sudden appearance in her granddaughter's room, even though Yoshie was Tegami's mother.

"Mother? What are you doing here?" Tegami took her crying mother's hand. "What is the matter?"

Kitte was standing behind his mother. Tegami looked up at him confused. Momoe understood that something was wrong and took her grandson outside for a chat while Tegami kept comforting her mother.

"Mother, why are you here?"

Yoshie tried her best to hold back her tears but she barely managed to. "Ryuunosuke… he's been investigated by the Konoha shinobi because of some letter I sent you…but I didn't send you any suspicious letters!"

Tegami was suddenly worried. "Letters? To me?"

Her mother was still sobbing, "Masked shinobi brought us all the way here yesterday. I was so scared! They even insisted to take Kazue and Seiichi too!"

"Mother, please calm down," Tegami said but she herself was growing more and more anxious.

The woman sat on the bed next to daughter, caressing her cheek, "Tegami, my dear… What happened to you? You're all bandaged up."

Tegami smiled, "Don't worry about me, mother. I'm all right."

Yoshie wiped her eyes and pulled her daughter into a warm embrace. "You know I love you, right? I'd never do anything that would cause you harm."

"I know, mother, I know," she whispered softly as she was patting her mother's back. What kind of trouble had her family got into?

VI.

Kitte quickly cleared up the situation for his grandmother and went downstairs to his half-siblings. His brother, Seiichi, was more agitated than his younger sister. Kazue was, by nature, a strong woman and besides, she didn't mind spending some time with her older half-brother, Kitte, although she had no particular interest in his sister.

"Onii-chan!" she happily cheered when she saw Kitte descend with his grandmother. "Onii-chan, I'm a bit hungry. They kept us there for so long, asking us so many stupid questions! Ah, I'm tired."

She plopped down on a chair at the kitchen table, striking a dramatic pose with her hand to her forehead.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Kazue-chan," he tried to comfort her as kindly as possible although he wasn't in the mood. "I'll take you both out for some ramen, what about that?"

"No!" she shouted, standing up, "I mean, yes, I'd love to but Seiichi said he'd rather sleep for a while, right, Seiichi?"

"Eh?" The boy looked at his younger sister, dazed. Although he was a couple of years older than her, he was more sensitive and naïve, taking after his mother. He even had Yoshie's charming green eyes. Kazue, on the other hand, was her father's daughter. Smart and independent, she knew when to take advantage of the situation and she always did.

"Oh, yes, that's right. I'd like to rest for a while. And also," his green orbs darkened with sadness, "I heard that Tegami-oneechan is hurt so I want to go see her too…"

Kitte sighed, "Yeah, ok. Tegami's up in her room. Mom's there too. And you can sleep in dad's room, he's currently a bit busy. Grandma, will you please show him upstairs? Thank you. Kazue, let's go."

The girl ran up to him with a big smile on her face. They went together to Ichiraku, holding hands like a couple on a date. Kazue was ecstatic, she kept talking and laughing. Kitte only replied to her out of politeness—although he appeared to be smiling, his eyes were focused on something else.

When they arrived to their destination, they found Kakashi sitting on one of the stools. He was eating by himself—or rather, had just finished eating.

"Two bowls of miso ramen, please," Kitte ordered.

Kakashi glanced at him from the corner of his eye, "That's interesting."

"What is, senpai?" Kitte asked.

"Onii-chan, you know that guy?" Kazue curiously intervened.

"Ah, yes, of course. He's my senpai, Hatake Kakashi-san. Senpai, this is my younger sister, Kazue."

The girl bowed her head, muttering a shy 'hello'. Something about the masked figured was intimidating her. But then she received her bowl of ramen and forgot all about those around her.

"So what's interesting?" Kitte asked again, turning to his senpai while Kazue was distracted.

"Your twin sister isn't too fond of miso," Kakashi said, "But you always eat miso ramen."

"Well. My sister and I are very different," Kitte said in such a voice that left no room for Kakashi to reply, or at least not on the same topic.

"I hope things get sorted out soon." Because his words were met with silence, Kakashi turned to his companion. Kitte was gulping down the soup of his ramen and only replied after he wiped his mouth with the hem of his sleeve.

"Too bad that we can only hope," he snorted, "it'll be difficult for them to sort things out. It's Tegami we're talking about here."

"And your point is?"

"My sister…You forget what Tegami's job is."

Kakashi was confused for a moment. Then it hit him. Tegami was a master liar, she had quite a number of undercover missions under her belt, including some on which Konoha's peace depended. Her negotiation skills had often solved problems in ways that worked to her or her village's advantage.

It was obvious that even if she claimed to be innocent, she wouldn't be easily believed.


	5. An Unusual Occurrence

I.

Still weakened but less bandaged than the day before, Tegami entered the interrogation room, followed by her close friend, Anko. The snake lady had gone out of her way to fetch her friend and even got permission to assist to the questioning. Ibiki and Tegami politely and somewhat coldly greeted each other before sitting down.

"I don't know what this is all about," she began, "but if I can be of any use even in my current state, then I am willing to comply with your requests. Please proceed, Ibiki-san."

For some reason, it felt like he was the one being interrogated. Ibiki cleared his throat, "As I see you're not aware, then I should inform you that you're a suspect in this case, Tegami-san."

"I beg your pardon?" She was completely taken aback.

"You must have heard about those incriminating letters which led us to believe that you know more than you have told us about the criminal organization threatening the safety of our village."

Tegami blinked, confused, "I have heard of some suspicious letters which led you to bring in my family for questioning…but other than that…"

"Then let me show you something." Ibiki took the letter out from a file and gave it to Tegami. "Do you recognize the handwriting?"

She quickly skimmed it, "But this is absurd!"

Ibiki frowned, "Please answer my question."

"No, I do not recognize the handwriting." Her voice was calm and even. Although she had no idea what was going on, she was obeying well.

"Then do you know the name of the sender? Have you heard it before?"

"I think that's how those henchmen were calling their boss back in Otafuku Gai," she replied after a while. "Is that even a name? I thought it was just their way of saying 'boss'."

Ibiki took back the letter, "Now that you're familiar with the contents of the letter, is there anything you'd like to share with us?"

The atmosphere was suddenly more tense. This was what everyone had been wondering about ever since the mysterious letter surfaced.

"I'm not very certain what you would like to hear from me, but I can assure you that this letter is nothing more than fiction." She swallowed and licked her dry lips, "Again, this is absurd. Someone claiming that I am their lover—" She paused, pondering on her words. Although she was still composed, her eyes were burning. "That's just nonsense! It is more than obvious that this person knows nothing about me."

It was an answer everyone had expected which made it less convincing. "May I remind you, Tegami-san, that you are one of Konoha's best liars?"

"I'll take that as an insult, Ibiki-san."

He leaned back in his chair, grinning. "But that's the truth. And you can't help it. It's also what led us to suspect you. I'm well aware that the way you are portrayed in that letter is not very much like you—the you that _we _know."

Tegami clenched her fists, her eyebrows furrowed, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that whatever you say, we can't believe you." His tone was final.

"Then why are you questioning me?" She controlled her voice well. Although cold and distant, it was still calm.

"Because that's the routine. We'll let you know your verdict once we gather more evidence. For now, be informed that you're under special surveillance." He stood up, ready to leave. "We're not yet detaining you because your condition does not allow it. Please expect further questioning to take place in the future."

He left, without looking back. Tegami sat perplexed, taking in what had just happened. Liar? Suspected? She was still processing these notions as Anko escorted her back home. Neither of them said a word.

Just what in the world was going on?

II.

When Tegami arrived home, her family was waiting for her to eat dinner. Not only her father, brother and grandparents were sitting at the table, but also her mother and half-siblings. Since Ryuunosuke was still detained, his wife and children couldn't just leave.

"Finally! We've been waiting for like forever!" Kazue energetically complained when Tegami entered the kitchen.

The kunoichi took her seat next to her grandmother and across from her younger sister. Yukio was seated at one head of the table, while Yuuma occupied the other. To the old man's right sat Kitte, next to him Kazue and next to her Seiichi. On the other side, the last place near Tegami was taken by Yoshie, who had also decided to cook for the whole family.

At last, everyone was gathered. They all put their hands together to give their thanks for the meal. "Itadakimasu," Yukio said in a rather dull voice and picked up his chopsticks first. The rest of the family followed suit and they ate in such a silence, that the flies could be heard buzzing.

Although none of them could bear the awkward situation for much longer, they didn't dare to speak up, either. After all, the circumstances which had brought them together weren't that pleasant and it was difficult to strike up a conversation when there was no topic of discussion. The only thing that was on everyone's minds—well, almost everyone, Kazue and Seiichi weren't bothered too much by it—was the recent matter about the dubious letter.

Yoshie was baffled by its mere existence—she was absolutely certain that she had never put such a letter in the envelope destined for her daughter. She was also worried about her husband and the future of her family. What would she do by herself if he was found guilty of anything?

Yuuma, on the other hand, was trying to be calm and optimistic. He believed that they would eventually find a way out of this predicament and hoped that nothing bad would happen to the village. He was obviously afraid for his daughter but he also trusted her considerably. In his eyes, there was not a person more innocent than Tegami.

Momoe and Yukio had the most concerns, as heads of the family and leading figures of the Shishatori clan. If Tegami was found guilty of treason, it would affect their personal dignity and honor. Not only the two of them, but also Kitte would be looked down on by the people for having lived under the same roof with a traitor and having never figured it out.

Kitte, however, was the one who carried the biggest burden. Although he wished to have faith in his sister, there was still no piece of evidence that could come to her aid. Everything was against her. Moreover, he was put in charge of the team supervising her—he was practically on the job 24/7, keeping an eye on his sister at all times. He had to be suspicious of her every move when he actually wanted to do something to help her.

"So, uh…" both Yoshie and Yuuma began at the same time, in an attempt to get rid the heavy silence.

"Oh, I'm sorry," the woman quickly apologized, "Ah, please go on. I had nothing interesting to say, anyway." She smiled shyly, returning her attention to the small bowl of rice.

"Um, thanks." Yuuma sipped some saké before continuing, "So, Seiichi, I hear you're gonna get engaged?"

The boy smiled bashfully, "Yes, that's…that's true."

"Oh, really?" Kitte sounded amazed. "Looks like you're getting married earlier than I had expected! Man, I feel bad. I'm supposed to be the older brother."

Seiichi laughed, "But, aniki, you have such a demanding job. It's not a surprise that you're still single."

Kitte pretended to be upset in a silly manner.

"Onii-chan, you're better off like this, trust me!" Kazue comforted him.

Kitte ignored the comments that were being made about him and kept eating. He glanced at his sister once and seeing her quietly pick at her food made his enthusiasm falter.

"Thank you for the food, mom," he said, wiping his still full mouth. He stood up first and went to get a glass of water. But it wasn't cool enough to refresh him. "I'll go out for a bit," he announced over his shoulder on the way to the door.

Kitte breathed in the fresh air, enjoying the chills the evening breeze gave him. Since there was no actual street crossing the Shishatori domain, just narrow footpaths leading to the houses hidden by trees, the air was cleaner and more refreshing than it was at the pit of the civilization downtown in Konoha.

This wild nature of the Shishatori grounds also made it easier for the ANBU to conceal their presence and spy on Tegami. Kitte was well aware of that fact and checked their locations among the branches. There were a total of five of them spread all around the house.

"Kitte."

Startled, he turned around. He'd recognized his twin's soft voice.

"Tegami. What is it?"

She came to hug him but he was as stiff as a statue. Only his eyes were wide and his fingers itching to caress her back. But he didn't allow himself to let down his emotional guard. The ANBU were watching. So he gently pushed her away.

"Kitte?"

He couldn't stand her troubled gaze. His fists were clenching on her shoulders. "I'm sorry, it's just—" He let her go, looking away from her desolate expression. She'd come looking for support but was met with distrust instead.

"You—You too, Kitte?" Her eyes were watery as she spoke, "I thought that at least you would…would believe in me…but…" She gulped, "I—I really…"

Tegami was at a loss for words—which never happened to her before. She herself was shocked by it. She had always found a way to voice her thoughts but in this case, she just couldn't. The words were stuck in her throat, even if she wanted to say something, no sound would come out of her mouth.

Frustrated, she ran back inside, all the way to her room. She usually didn't cry too easily but she was so hurt by her brother's betrayal that she couldn't hold back her tears. Anguished, lost and lonely, she cried with her face tucked in her pillow, in an attempt to muffle the noise.

III.

In the middle of the night, at a time when everyone was sunk into deep sleep, an invisible shadow snuck along the trodden path, through the woods, until he could make out the outline of a one-storey house. The shadow kept moving between the trees, avoiding the front lawn of the house and ducking below a window at its back. Crouched, the shadow headed towards another window, on the eastern side of the house.

But just as it was trying to unlock it, an ANBU appeared out of nowhere and pointed his sword at the trespasser's neck. However, the shadow struck back in a flash, taking out two ANBU in just one move. The moonlight shone over it as it was dragging the bodies behind some trees. Its white hair glowed silver and its gray eyes sparked as it looked up to the roof of the house. Three more ANBU were waiting for him.

Hisashi tried to deal with them as silently as he could. Luckily, the ANBU had no interest to make their presence known to the inhabitants of the house so they, too, tried to be quick and quiet. Hisashi emerged from this short battle with a scratch on his face but he managed to get rid of the obstacles.

Now that his way was cleared out, he returned to the window and opened it with ease. He walked like a cat, softly and carefully. He soon reached the top of the stairs and went to one of the doors. It was locked but it didn't matter. Once inside, he locked the door again and slowly made his way to the bed in which Tegami was sleeping.

Her eyes darted open and she sat up holding a kunai as soon as he came near her. Sleeping with a kunai under her pillow was a habit she'd developed due to the number of undercover mission she'd been on.

Hisashi halted for a second, immersed in her piercing stare. He was too fast for her, however, because when he started moving, she lost sight of him. The next thing she knew was that he was covering her mouth from behind and gripping her wrist so tightly that she dropped the kunai.

"I'll let you go if you promise not to scream," he whispered. No reaction. "There is something I have to tell you." His lips were now closer to her ear. She almost shivered. "I can tell you like this, too, but you might have some questions." Tegami glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "I'll let you go, you won't scream, I'll tell you what I have to then I listen to your questions. Deal?"

Tegami gulped, uneasy, but nodded.

"Good."

He gradually uncovered her mouth and only released her hand when her breathing became even. Tegami tried to jump on him and strangle him but she was still too weak. He easily dodged and pinned her down instead, holding her wrists together above her head.

"I thought we had a deal." His voice was low and cold. She would've spat at him if she hadn't been so proper. "Now listen. Shuryou wants you to know that he's really sorry for what happened in Otafuku but he couldn't let his men know who you really are."

Tegami was glaring at him furiously. "That's just bullshit," she hissed through her teeth, "Your boss has no idea who I am, he's just pulling a scheme to make me the scapegoat for his actions."

Hisashi grabbed her jaw with one of his hands, "Be quiet for now, I'm not done. He also said that he needs you to inform him about Konoha's future plans regarding your failed mission." Tegami was struggling to speak but she couldn't. "Lastly, he also asked me to kiss you for him but if I do that he might get angry. Even so…"

He leaned down and pecked her lips. It was as much as she could take but for some reason, this slender man was so heavy that she couldn't move at all beneath him. But as she was writhing and kicking, a blade flickered silver in the darkness and Hisashi carefully straightened up.

"Hello there," an expressionless Kitte said, pressing his ANBU sword against Hisashi's nape. "You're quite the inaudible fellow, I see. Good job trespassing into my house while I was on watch. I'll give you some credit for that." Without another word, Kitte knocked him out and pulled him off his sister.

He gave her an once-over to make sure she was okay then, as he was throwing away Hisashi's sword and searching his body for other weapons, he asked, "Did he do anything to you? Other than what I've already seen."

She shook her head but because he wasn't looking at her, she said, "No. Nothing harmful."

He glimpsed her eyes, intrigued by her answer. " 'Anything' includes harmless things as well, you know?"

She clenched her fists, irritated. "He didn't do anything to me but he did _tell_ me something."

"Oh, really?" Kitte's voice was unusually sarcastic. "Something about Shuryou, by any chance?"

She nodded. Kitte stood up. "Good. I shall let Ibiki know once I deliver this guy to him. There are a couple more hours until daybreak. You should go back to sleep, Anko will come for you in the morning."

Tegami was somehow disturbed by the official tone of his voice. That's why she didn't reply to him. "You try to sleep after being assaulted by a top class criminal in the dead of the night," she muttered, more to herself, but Kitte could hear her. He seemed to ignore it, though, for he didn't respond to it. He just picked Hisashi up and threw him over his shoulder, also grabbing his sword on the way out.

IV.

Although Anko came early in the morning, having even skipped breakfast, she found her friend already dressed up and ready to go. It was a familiar sight to the snake lady, the two-sizes-too-big T-shirt and the worn out trousers that were once part of a shinobi uniform, along with the orange sunglasses atop the head. This outfit always made Tegami look like a sleepy, lazy person who just didn't feel like doing anything.

But today the feeling it gave off was a bit different. Tegami's eyes were more than tired. They were hopeless, dark and gloomy. Noticing her friend's stare, Tegami lowered her glasses on her nose and headed towards the exit. Anko followed her closely.

"Oi, Tegami. Should we go get some dango?" Anko suggested, grinning, "Some Mitarashi dango?"

"Should we?" Tegami smiled meekly.

"All right, let's go!" Anko cheered and literally dragged her friend to the dango shop.

The ladies were the first customers of the day so the ookami kindly asked them to be patient. They sat down at their usual table and waited. Tegami had her sweaty palms on her knees while Anko leaned forward on the table. Irked that she couldn't see her interlocutor's eyes, she snatched the orange sunglasses and slammed them on the table. Tegami blinked a couple of times, startled by the sudden movement.

"Is something wrong, Anko-san?" she asked, perplexed.

Anko frowned, "Hell yeah, everything is!" She leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms over her chest. "I've never seen you this depressed. What happened?" Her angered voice softened towards the end. "Something like this can't bring you down so easily."

Tegami looked away, accidentally catching sight of the ookami bringing them their sweets. "The dango is done," she swiftly changed the subject and got ready to eat.

Anko was dissatisfied but didn't comment. She ate her dumplings in silence, all the while glaring at her friend. When out of the blue Tegami began to speak, without taking her eyes off the plate, "Anko-san, do you believe in me?"

The snake lady halted her chewing, her mouth half open. She swallowed and wiped her lips with the back of her hand before replying. "What kind of question is that? You know I do."

Tegami's smile was sad as she finished her dango and stood up. Since Anko was also done, they continued on their way to Konohagakure Intelligence Division. When they arrived, Hisashi was being handed over to Yamanaka Inoichi after Ibiki had squeezed everything he could out of him. Now it was Tegami's turn.


	6. A Random Encounter

I.

The evening breeze was getting colder just as the sky was getting darker. Hyped up by some alcohol, Tegami was wandering the streets of Konoha aimlessly until she stumbled upon the training grounds and the memorial stone. She brought the bottle she was carrying to her lips and attempted to move forward at the same time. It was a mistake, for she couldn't see where she was going and easily tripped over her own feet.

"No!" she cried, worried that the bottle might break.

Fortunately, a pair of strong arms caught her in time and gingerly set her on the ground. Tegami sighed relieved, gripping the bottleneck tightly.

"Tegami-san?" a confused voice caught her attention. She looked up, meeting Kakashi's surprised figure.

"Oh, Kakashi-san." She dragged the words out drunkenly as she was trying to sit down properly, with her legs folded beneath her. But it didn't work out so she resumed to crossing them instead.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Ah, well." She took another sip. "I just…somehow…," she flailed her arms to emphasize the adverb, "…ended up here. What are _you _—," hiccup, "—doing here?"

"I came to…," he began but noticed that she was too busy with the bottle. Sighing, he seized the liquor, earning a whimper of complaint from her.

"Y'know, I paid for that!" she lamented, "Gimme it!" She stretched out her hand but he held it too high up for her to reach it. Pouting, she crawled to the memorial stone and laid her head on it. "See, sensei, what he's doin' to me…" All of a sudden there were tears in her eyes. Gradually, her sobbing increased, making Kakashi feel bad. It was the first time he'd seen her cry so pathetically and had no idea what to do.

"Tegami-san…Here, here." He crouched next to her and patted her back.

"Sensei! Sensei, I miss you! Sensei, don't hate me! I didn't mean to, sensei! Sensei!" She was mourning as if he was being buried just then. "Sensei…"

Kakashi grabbed her shaking shoulders and forcefully pulled her away from the stone. He scooped her up in his arms and left the training grounds. But he didn't know what he should do with her. The Shishatori domains were located on the outskirts of Konoha and Kakashi didn't think that he could carry her all the way there. She was heavier than he had expected.

Reluctantly, he decided to take her to his own apartment then go call Kitte to take her home. He did as such, except for the last part. Just when he was about to leave after laying her on his bed, Tegami caught his hand, making him stop and look back.

"Tegami-san?"

She sat up, her face scrunched up. She had already cried so much that she couldn't breathe normally and her cries had turned into hiccups. When he stepped back to check on her, she suddenly got up on her knees and hugged him, shoving her nose into his chest.

"Tegami…san?"

He was so taken aback that he wasn't sure if he should respond to the hug or detach her from him. For some reason, although he inclined to do the second, he ended up locking her in a strong embrace, resting his chin on her head. He let out a heavy breath as he held her tighter.

He was enjoying the warmth coming form her body, surging through his palms. Clenching his fingers, he thought for a moment that he didn't want to ever let go.

II.

Tegami awoke with a massive headache. She could usually hold her liquor well but she had drunk way too much the previous night. Moaning, she sat up. She was so dizzy that she had to hold her head still.

Her eyes opened little by little. When she could finally make out her surroundings, she blinked to clear her vision and let out a shriek upon coming across Kakashi's masked figure. Panic soon settled in.

She checked herself, noticing that only her wooden sandals and her sunglasses were missing. She relaxed, sighing relieved. Kakashi set down the book he was reading and looked at her.

"How do you feel?" he asked in a nonchalant, yet gentle tone. "You drank a bit too much yesterday."

She licked her dry lips, buying some time to search for her words. "I…I'm fine…I guess."

"Should I get you something to eat?" he kindly offered.

Tegami shook her head. "I…I just want to know—"

"Don't worry," he cut her off. He stood up and stuck his hands in his pockets, "I wanted to go get Kitte to take you home but…I couldn't leave you alone. I'll go bring some food," he added and left the room.

"Um," Tegami called after him, hesitant. He turned around. "Do you…happen to have some amazake?"

"Uh…" He was scratching the back of his head, "No, I don't think I do. But I can go get some."

"Ah, no, it's all right. I shall go myself, later."

Nodding, he returned to his previous intention, that of fixing breakfast for his unexpected guest. He came back ten minutes later, with a bowl of instant ramen and a hot cup of tea.

"Sorry, but this is the best I have," he apologized as he gave her the bowl.

She smiled and shook her head, accepting the ramen with a slight bow. "Thank you."

Kakashi sat at his desk again and picked up his book. Tegami stayed silent the whole time she ate, only saying a few words when she thanked him for the meal.

"I guess I should be on my way now," she said, standing up, "thank you very much for your kindness." She bent over to 90 degrees then proceeded on her way out.

"Wait a moment." Kakashi took hold of her wrist. "There's something…" He glanced over his shoulder, at the window. "Let's go, I'll walk you home."

Tegami blinked curiously but didn't protest. She thought that maybe he was still worried for her so she allowed him to accompany her.

"Would you mind if we passed by the Kiyomizu bar?" Tegami asked, "I'd like to buy some amazake."

Kakashi had his hands in his pockets as usual but he walked close to her. His voice was low when he replied, "Is it open at this hour? I thought it was a night bar."

Tegami smiled, a bit embarrassed, "Well, yes, it is, but I'm friends with the bartender and he sells me the amazake even if I go before opening hours."

"Hm…Tegami-san, do you have any plans for tonight?"

Stunned by Kakashi's question, Tegami would have stopped in the middle of the road if he hadn't grabbed her elbow and pointed at the sky.

"Oh, what's that?" he exclaimed, staring up at the clouds and shielding his eyes from the sun.

"What?" Tegami tried to look too but she didn't see anything.

"Looks like it was just my imagination. Let's go. You were saying?" He locked gazes with her, which made Tegami suspect that something was going on. But she played along nonetheless.

"Ah, my plans for tonight…Well, no I don't really have any…I have been inactive lately because of my current status as a—" She gulped, unable to say the word. "Anyhow, no, I do not have plans for tonight."

"Good." His eye closed as he smiled. "Then can you meet me at the Kiyomizu bar an hour or two after sunset? Is it too late for you to buy the amazake then?"

Tegami fumbled for words, astonished by Kakashi's invitation. "I…I'm not sure I—"

"Please, Tegami-san, I need to talk to you," he insisted.

"Then why don't you—"

He shot her such a stern look that she shut up immediately. Even though she was skeptical about the present situation, her gut told her that she should follow Kakashi's rules of the game. So she shyly nodded her response to his invitation.

"Well, then, see you tonight! I need to stop by the grocery store," he said and held up his hand as a greeting. He then walked off in a different direction, leaving a bowing Tegami behind.

III.

When Tegami arrived at the Kiyomizu bar, she found Kakashi sitting on a stool at the counter. He had a half-full glass in his hand but he was only toying with it.

"Kakashi-san," she called softly when she arrived near him.

"Oh, Tegami-san. I'm glad you came." He put down the glass and showed her to the stool next to him, "Please take a seat."

She obeyed and also ordered a glass of straight hanazake. Kakashi chuckled upon hearing her.

"I see you really know your drinks, Tegami-san." Hanazake was a brand of awamori, with an alcohol content of 60%.

Her cheeks reddened slightly. "Well…I…"

"Don't worry, I can understand." He had also wanted to say 'you had the most talented sensei in matters of alcohol' but he refrained from it. An image of the pitiful, crying Tegami from the previous night flashed before his eyes.

"There's something I'd like to talk to you about." He waited until the bartender who brought Tegami her drink left.

"What is it?" she eagerly inquired.

"You know that back in Otafuku Gai we were both kept in the same smelly basement," he began. Tegami nodded.

"Yes, I do. I never saw you but I remember I heard you breathe."

"I was unconscious for a long time," he continued, "but I happened to come to my senses before you were dragged out."

He stopped, peeking behind him. There was a large crowd listening to someone's live performance and many others were simply getting drunk and chatting up the waitresses. Among those people, some only pretended to be drinking, while they were actually keeping an eye on the two former mission partners.

"So, as I was saying," he returned his attention to her, assured that the background noise was too loud for anyone to be able to hear them, "I had just come to my senses when the door was slammed open and a guy came in. He grabbed your hair and took you out."

Tegami's expression was darkening bit by bit as her memory was being refreshed. "That's right."

"That man wasn't Hisashi. And he carried no weapon. Was he the 'Shuryou' I've heard so much about lately?" He looked at her but their eyes didn't meet. She was too focused on her glass, which she was holding tightly with both hands, very close to breaking it.

"Yes, that's right. He was the boss I had met at the pub in Otafuku Gai and he was the man flanked by the two guards. Indeed, they were calling him 'Shuryou'. It was also his voice I heard when I was slapped awake."

"His voice, yes…I heard it too. More clearly than I saw him, in fact." Kakashi placed his forearms on the counter, thoughtfully staring at the ceiling, "He was saying…let me see… 'Nice one trying to fool us…bitch'." He lowered his gaze on her, "Am I correct?"

Her head suddenly snapped up and whipped around. "Kakashi-san…you—"

"Tegami-san, please try to abstain yourself from such sudden movements. I don't think you know but we are being watched."

She gulped down the remains of her drink, "So that's why you called me all the way here. Won't you get in trouble?"

He shrugged, "Not if we met by coincidence."

"Excuse me," Tegami said to the bartender, "I'd like a bottle of amazake, please." The bartender grinned and muttered a husky 'right away'. "I see what you're hinting at, Kakashi-san. I came to buy amazake and accidentally ran into my friend so I had to stop for a drink. I could make it believable if they were to question me about it. What about you, Kakashi-san?"

He smiled, "You don't have to worry about me. Now let me finish before your amazake arrives."

"Please do. I'm really curious as to what you are actually after."

Kakashi sighed, "I smelled something fishy about this from the very beginning. I saw your mother give the letters to that shinobi. She looked so happy."

He paused for a moment, lost in his memories. Then he went on, "Well, the things is…I recently remembered Shuryou's words." He frowned, "When Hisashi was interrogated, he claimed that none of the gang members knew about your relationship with their boss. He apparently kept it secret to protect your identity because some of them are stupid enough to reveal it by mistake."

Tegami breathed in deeply. She got angry whenever she was thinking about that ridiculous letter.

"So then it would make sense for him to pretend that he didn't know you in front of his henchmen. But then, why did he treat you like that when no one was around? I'm sure he thought I was sleeping."

Something clicked in Tegami's mind. "You mean…those words…when he grabbed my hair?"

Kakashi nodded, "Exactly. He came alone to get you. There was no need for him to keep up the act. He could've nicely asked you how you feel and apologize. But he didn't."

Tegami couldn't reply because the bartender appeared just then with the bottle of amazake. "Thank you!" she said with a big smile. "It's been a pleasure talking to you, Kakashi-san." She stood up and bowed. "Maybe we'll meet again."

"I hope so. By the way, your sensei's death anniversary is soon, right?" he asked, also standing up.

Tegami pursed her lips, "Yes, the day after tomorrow, actually."

"Try not to get too drunk," he advised her.

"I'll see what I can do."

She nodded and left. It was decided. They would meet again in the same place in two days.

IV.

When Tegami arrived home, most of her family was already asleep. Only her father and grandfather were still talking over a cup of saké in the kitchen.

"Good night," she hurriedly bowed as she passed by them on her way to her room.

Her room was quite modestly arranged and the only window above her desk offered the typical Shishatori view: trees all around and a hint of blue. Since her room was on the first level, she could catch a glimpse of the far away lake. What she liked most, however, was the warm, orange light coming in at sunset. She adored those moments, when her room would be engulfed in such a calm atmosphere.

She was thinking about the beautiful evening as she stared outside the window. Opening it, she rested her hand on the sill and stretched her neck to breathe in the cool, fresh air. She tried not to look too hard but she still hoped to spot her guards.

Her eyes were trained to see in the dark. It was a mandatory requirement for undercover and infiltration missions. Therefore, she managed to identify a few shapes after gawking at the trees for a whole minute.

Smiling imperceptibly, she went to the bathroom and made sure that no one could peek inside. Then she made a few handsigns and summoned an owl, Yomichi, which normally aided her during reconnaissance missions at night. But Yomichi also had a small cylinder attached to its claw and tiny hidden pouches beneath its wings that contained paper and ink. She used those to write a message for Kakashi,_ What are your intentions, Kakashi-san? Should we tell the Hokage about this?_, and sent the owl back to its world.

Afterwards she sneakily climbed in the attic, summoning Yomichi again. This time she released the bird through a secret opening in the roof and waited. She also made a clone, meant to replace her in her room.

In a few minutes, the owl returned with Kakashi's reply to Tegami's message, **As much as I would like to, I don't think it'd benefit either of us.**

_Then what are you planning?_

**I failed my mission back then. If I hadn't been caught, I'm sure you would have been able to accomplish your task. I'll make it up to you.**

_How?_

**I have a plan. We'll talk then.**

Tegami read his last message with a wavering heart. She was worried. She didn't want Kakashi to get in trouble because of her. But at the same time, she wanted to clear all the suspicions surrounding her. She was innocent and she knew it. Kakashi also knew it. Aside from that, she also knew that Shuryou would find a way to turn everyone against her. He hadn't sent Hisashi right into the hands of Konoha shinobi for nothing.

Her determination was slowly building up. She penned one last reply, two short words, _All right_, then had her clone wake up and go to the bathroom. The real Tegami cautiously made her way to the bathroom as well and went back to her room. She grinned in her sleep while thinking that she had successfully managed to fool her ANBU guards.

She spent the following day at home, cooking with her mother and younger brother. They all had a thing in common: their love for sweets. Among the three of them, Yoshie was the master chef. Both her children had inherited her tastes. Tegami even had a native talent for it. She had won over the snake lady by cooking for her some special homemade dango.

"Mom, you're great as always!" Seiichi complimented Yoshie, his eyes gleaming with admiration. "Oh, by the way, onee-chan, you know, Aya-chan and I—my fiancée, I mean, we'd like to open up a business in Konoha."

Tegami's brows rose in surprise, "Is that so? What kind of business?"

He grinned from ear to ear, "Some place where people can enjoy homemade sweets and tea. Are you interested? We both could really use your help!"

She only gave him a kind smile. Who could know what the future held? She didn't want to make a promise which she wouldn't be able to keep.


	7. A Difficult Plan

I.

The day was bleak from the very beginning. As soon as the sun rose, the black clouds started gathering and rain began pouring early in the morning. It was such a depressive day that not many people dared to leave the comfort of their homes. After taking a glimpse at the weather, Tegami didn't feel like it either.

It took her ages to get out of bed. The lack of light wasn't helping. When she descended to the kitchen, there was no one around, other than Kitte who was rummaging through the fridge. "Good morning," she blankly greeted him and took a seat. "What's everyone else doing?"

Kitte placed some cold rice on the table, leftover from dinner. He also took out some milk and cake his mother had baked the other day. "Morning, twin," he replied. It was a little joke he'd come up with when they were both little and chubby. "Still sleeping, I guess?"

Tegami quirked a brow, "Still sleeping? At this hour?"

He took a look at the clock on the wall, "Well, it's 6 AM."

She turned around to see for herself. Her eyes went wide as she confirmed her brother's statement. "It really _is _6 AM…I was sure it was well over 9."

He snorted, "I know, right? I felt the same."

Tegami's hand stretched out to grab the piece of cake, ignoring the bowl of rice right in front of her. Kitte snickered and also passed her the milk. She gave him a dirty look and dipped her spoon into the whipped cream.

"It's a special day today, after all," Kitte continued with a sigh. "I don't think the flower shop is open so early. We should pass by the Kiyomizu bar first. They probably haven't closed yet," he ended with a smirk.

"_You_ should, by yourself," Tegami said, focused on her cake. "I'll go by myself."

"Tegami…"

"I don't want to meet up with Kotone. Not this time, under these circumstances."

Kitte became disheartened. "But Tegami, it's our sensei's death anniversary! I know that you and Kotone aren't the best of friends anymore but we all were his students."

"Do you really not understand?" She stared him in the eye. "Now she has reasons to call me a murderer. This is supposed to be a peaceful meeting. I have no wish to argue with her at a time when we should sympathize with each other." Shoving a spoonful of cake in her mouth, she continued, "You can go meet up with her if you want." She swallowed, "I'll manage by myself." After gulping down some milk, she wiped her lips with a napkin and stood up.

"But Tegami! We've always gone together!" Kitte protested, "You can't just walk out on me like that!"

"Who walked out on whom?" she muttered. "We'll go together, yes, when this mess I'm caught up into will be smoothed out. Until then, I have no intentions to even see Kotone from afar."

"Tegami!" he yelled, frustrated. Rushing up to her, he clutched her shoulder and spun her around. "Why are you doing this to me?"

Her gaze slowly wandered from his hand, up his arm and to his face. "Allow me to ask you the same thing, twin."

His grasp on her was tighter by the second, "Tegami, you really…" He ruffled his hair. "I'm gonna go mad, dammit!"

His sister laughed shortly, "What are you talking about, twin?"

Her remark made him eye her curiously, "Tegami, don't be like this to me, please." His voice was fatigued. He didn't know how to apologize to her without revealing his position.

"Please, Kitte. I don't want to be like this either." She gently removed his hand and went back up to her room.

She wasn't exactly lying when she told him that she didn't want to accompany him to pay their respects to their sensei. The excuse she found to be left alone was more than plausible, it was true. She really didn't want to come face to face with her former teammate and best friend, Hyuuga Kotone.

The reason was simple. Their sensei had died eight years ago, during a mission with his old students. By that time, all three had already been promoted to Chuunin rank. It had been a well received reunion which ended with a tragedy. During that mission, Kiyomizu Hiroyuki, the twins' sensei, lost his life. But he didn't simply die at the hands of the enemy, he died protecting one of his pupils.

Ever since, Kotone has despised her female teammate. She blamed Tegami for their sensei's death and cut all ties with her. In the past, the two had even sung together. Kotone accompanied Tegami's mellow vocals with her admirable koto skills. Tegami had claimed numerous times that her friend was destined to be a master of the traditional instrument, referring to the meaning of her name, 'sound of the koto'.

Although Kotone was part of the branch family, her musical talent had earned her a respectable reputation among the clan members and she often performed for the main family. She was a pretty girl, cheerful and sociable.

Kitte had even had a crush on her once but because she was also a good kunoichi, they were often at each others' necks in terms of fighting abilities. It was just a matter of time, though, before Kitte greatly surpassed her and even came to see her as nothing more than a close friend. Therefore, Kotone still got along well with Kitte, even though she refused to forgive Tegami.

Tegami plopped down on her bed, sighing. She had better things to do than worry about someone who didn't even care about her.

II.

When Kakashi entered Lady Tsunade's office, she was reading a report on Hisashi's interrogation while biting her thumb nervously. Upon hearing Kakashi's steps, she glanced at him for a moment then asked, "What brings you here?"

He scratched the back of his head. "Well, there's a little something…"

Tsunade put the file down, "I'm listening."

"It's more of a favor than anything." The Hokage's gaze was getting more intense. Kakashi continued, "Let me go out and look for him."

She cocked an eyebrow, "Are you in your right mind? You know I can't do that. Konoha might be attacked any minute now."

"That's exactly why I want to do this," he insisted. "And…I want to take Tegami with me."

Tsunade stared at him dumbfounded. "Tegami might be our enemy. You're asking me to let her leave the village?"

"There's still not enough proof—"

"Hisashi is here, dammit!" She slammed her fist on the desk. "Do you think they would have risked their best player for nothing?"

"They might have done it on purpose, to have him infiltrate—"

"That's right," she swiftly cut him off. "To infiltrate and to make sure that the boss's lover is safe. Now he has two people inside while we don't even know where the hell he is!"

"Then," Kakashi countered, "wouldn't it be better to let me take her away?" He fixed her brown eyes, frowning. "That way, Hisashi will be alone and you won't have to worry about information leaking to Tegami."

Unexpectedly, Tsunade began considering Kakashi's suggestion. If she sent Tegami away, with Kakashi nonetheless, she wouldn't have to worry about her anymore. Besides, she could also constrain Tegami further by assigning a whole team to this impromptu mission. Why hadn't she thought of this sooner?

"All right," she finally replied, "I'll let you do this but I have my own conditions."

Kakashi didn't comment, although he was worried that these conditions might ruin the arrangements he had made with Tegami.

"There are some people I'd like you to take along," the Hokage explained, "I'll give you more details later. For now you're dismissed."

Kakashi left wondering what the Hokage was planning. He just hoped it wouldn't get in the way of his own plan.

III.

Tegami left her house shortly before noon and had some barbeque for lunch at Yakiniku Q. She ate alone, ignoring the rumors circulating about her. People were gaping at her, elbowing each other and shielding their mouths with their hands as they secretly whispered in each other's ears.

She tried her best to enjoy her meal, in spite of all the malice surrounding her. Once she was done, she paid the bill quietly and left without a word, heading towards the Yamanaka flower shop. There she bought a bouquet of lilies. But, unlike her brother, she put them at the memorial stone, not at her sensei's grave directly. It was just another precaution to make sure she wouldn't bump into Kitte by mistake.

"I'm sorry, sensei," she murmured, kneeling in front of the stone. "I'm sorry but…I don't want your life to have been wasted to save that of a traitor's. I will make things right. I promise."

She put her hands together to pray but she was disturbed by a very familiar voice, which she had hoped not to hear any time soon.

"I figured I'd find you here."

Tegami opened her eyes and let out an inaudible sigh, before languidly turning around. "Kotone-san. May I know your reason for coming all the way here?" She stood up to be on the same eye level as Kotone.

"You dare ask me that?" Kotone replied venomously. "How could you ditch us like that?" Her pale eyes were flaring up. "I understand that you don't want to see me but what about Kitte? Isn't he your brother? The one man you hold dear and close to your heart?"

Tegami blinked, confused. She had expected the worst to come out of this unexpected encounter but Kotone's scolding wasn't what she had imagined. "Kotone-san, you…" She was too flustered to think properly.

"What about me?"

Tegami averted her eyes from Kotone's furious glare.

"I hated you, yes, for having caused our sensei's death," Kotone began, her voice strong. "But I will have to eventually come to terms with it. After all, he chose to die for you."

Tegami didn't dare to look up. She couldn't believe her ears. Was Kotone forgiving her?

"That is that. But it's not why I'm here."

Tegami glanced up through her eyelashes.

"A traitor?" the Hyuuga continued, "Leaving personal feelings aside, I can objectively say that the Tegami I used to know could never be one. Are you trying to change my opinion of you? Do you have any idea how much Kitte suffered because of you?"

So that was it. The reason why Kotone had gone so far out of her way to come find her was Kitte. Tegami smiled bitterly. "Do _you_ have any idea how much _I _have suffered because of _him_?"

"What?" Kotone seemed skeptical. "Kitte would never, ever even dream of hurting you. How can you say such a thing?"

Tegami had to swallow a knot in her throat. "Kotone-san, please do not get involved in matters that do not concern you." With that, she spun on her heels and left. Kotone followed her but losing her trackers was one of Tegami's specialties. The only trackers that she couldn't get rid of were the ANBU which were constantly on her trail.

IV.

Tegami knew two ways to cure her sadness, sweets and alcohol. Since she couldn't yet afford to get drunk, she dropped by the dango shop where she ordered all kinds of dango and anmitsu. She ate a little bit of everything and when she couldn't ingest anything anymore, she lazily made her way to the Kiyomizu bar, her tummy aching.

She walked straight to the counter and collapsed on one of the stools. Seeing her like that, the bartender offered to help. "Should I heat up some saké?" he laughed.

Tegami shook her hand and laid her head on her arms. "Some green tea would be better, if you have any."

"Yeah, sure, I'll get you some. Why don't you take a nap in the meantime?"

Tegami smiled in response to the man's laugh and made herself as comfortable as she could. Now she just had to wait for Kakashi to show up. She could very well try to sleep too. The stomachache she had caused herself by mistake was a great excuse to spend more time than needed at the bar.

She only sat up to drink the green tea then resumed her slumber as she secretly waited for Kakashi.

He arrived about an hour later, at the peak of the drinking hours. He found Tegami sleeping on the counter and gently nudged her awake. She opened her eyes with a groan and stretched her arms above her head, forgetting where she was. Had Kakashi not reacted so promptly by supporting her back with his hand, she would've toppled off the stool. She gave a small shriek as she lost her balance but sighed relieved when Kakashi pushed her back in place.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm still a bit drowsy," she apologized, rubbing her eyes.

Kakashi smiled, "No problem. Actually, I should be sorry for disturbing you. You looked very peaceful." His eyes lost focus for a moment as he recalled her serene expression.

"It is better you did so, we have something to discuss, do we not?" Tegami's voice brought him back to reality.

"Uh…oh, yes…," he stuttered with his reply. "I haven't told you yet but I intended for us to go looking for this Shuryou. What do you say?"

Tegami's face brightened, although her cheeks were flushed. "Yes! That would be wonderful if we can actually do it." The bartender brought another cup of green tea for Tegami. She bowed slightly, taking it with both hands.

"We should be able to." He sneaked a peek at the ANBU watching them. "I told the Hokage about it, it should be all right."

"The Hokage?" Tegami sounded alarmed. "And she approved it?"

Kakashi nodded, "Yes, she did. Now we can just hope that she won't cause us any trouble."

With a sorrowful look, she downed the rest of the tea and clenched her fists on the counter. "I'm really sorry, Kakashi-san. I have put you through so much…"

He wanted to say something to take the guilt off her shoulders but nothing came to his mind. He only had her sad figure in his sight and thoughts and no words to comfort her. His attention was distracted, however, by her fingers tightly grabbing her T-shirt where her belly was.

"Tegami-san, is something wrong?" he asked, worried, his gaze switching back and forth between her belly and her face.

She understood what he meant and quickly shook her hand, "No, please don't worry. I just ate too many sweets for dinner. My stomach is not quite pleased."

His uneasy mien didn't ameliorate, though. "I know you don't like it but I think miso soup would do you well right now."

She chuckled, "Maybe. But I really don't want to eat it."

"I have a solution," he suddenly exclaimed. "Come with me."

He helped her off her seat and led her to his apartment. "Kakashi-san, but this is—"

"I just want you to try something," he interrupted her protest. "I'll cook it for you. Come on," he urged her, seeing she hesitated at the entrance. Impatient, he grasped her wrist and dragged her to his apartment door.

Tegami awkwardly sat on his bed and waited. She looked around herself, stirred by anxiety. She was remembering how she had woken up in that same bed and shivered. Just what was he trying to do to her?

A short while later, Kakashi came back with two small bowls of soup. "Don't refuse it before tasting it," he told her as he handed her one of the bowls.

Tegami used the chopsticks to inspect the contents of the soup Kakashi had given her. It was obviously miso soup but its contents were different from what she was used to. "Is that…eggplant?" she asked, puzzled. "I…haven't eaten miso soup like this before." She looked up at him with her big, innocent eyes.

Kakashi was smiling satisfied. "It's my favorite food. Go ahead, give it a try. It might be tastier than the traditional miso soup."

Still in a daze, she first ate a piece of the grilled eggplant then sipped some of the broth. The taste was certainly different and, surprisingly enough, she…_liked it_. Kakashi's smile was even happier as he saw the astonishment in her widened eyes.

"It's…good," she whispered, a bit embarrassed.

"Isn't it?" He was incredibly pleased all of a sudden.

"Thank you very much," she expressed her gratitude once she was done eating not only through words but also by bowing to him.

"Ah, no, it was nothing!" He took her shoulders and straightened her back. This brought them eye to eye, in a situation in which they could see their reflections in each other's pupils.

Neither of them realized how close to each other they were standing or how firmly Kakashi held her shoulders. He was mesmerized by her gaze and she was lost in his scent. Her arms found his waist naturally and her head fitted beneath his chin perfectly. His fingers mingled with her hair instinctively and both their heartbeats increased unnoticeably.

Tegami was the first one to realize what was happening. Because her heart had gone on such a rampage, she quickly withdrew her arms and stepped back, pushing Kakashi away. He unwillingly let go.

They had no words to describe what they were feeling or to apologize. Simply because there was no need to. Still, Kakashi was the first one to break the silence, even though his voice was really low.

"Tomorrow, an hour before dawn. We'll meet at the village gate. Come prepared for a long journey."

The only sounds in the room were made by Tegami's heavy breathing. Kakashi was calm, as if having put his hands back in his pockets had erased any trace of nervousness and excitement. Tegami, on the other hand, was perplexed and slightly scared. She pressed a palm on her heaving chest in an attempt to ease her tension. It was of no use, though. Her usually controllable heart refused to listen to the commands of her brain.

Taking another step back, she finally gained the confidence to run outside. She took a break, to breathe in the cool night air then dashed straight to her home. She was thankful that all the lights in her house were out. Otherwise she couldn't have explained to her family why she was panting so hard.


	8. A Shocking Situation

I.

An hour before dawn, at the village gate, Tegami was the first one to arrive. She stayed in the shadows and didn't reveal herself to the shinobi on guarding duty. The ANBU were still hot on her trail so she decided to first wait for Kakashi. Therefore, she barely contained her shock upon seeing Hyuuga Neji approach the gate. She knew that it was useless to hide from him but she kept her cover.

Minutes later, Sakura and Kiba also appeared. Their voices and Akamaru's barks could be heard from a distance. Immediately after, Guy also made his way cheerfully towards them. But there was still no trace of Kakashi. She feared that he might have betrayed her as well.

"Ah, I'm the last one to arrive. Sorry, sorry," Kakashi apologized as he headed towards the chatting group.

"We weren't expecting anything else from you, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said.

"It's still unacceptable to be so late! You said an hour before dawn," Guy protested.

"Sorry," Kakashi repeated while scratching the back of his head. "But where is…" He looked over the heads of his companions, searching for Tegami. "Tegami-san, it's all right," he called, "you can come out."

Tegami's voluptuous figure emerged slowly from the darkness. At that moment all eyes fell on her. Neji was frowning, Kiba was confused and Sakura looked sad while Guy was the only one to greet her in his 'youthful' manner.

"Tegami! I haven't seen you in _so _long! It's a good thing I agreed to come on this mission," he grinned, holding up his thumb.

Tegami wasn't as happy. She glared at Kakashi, expecting an explanation. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you," he began, "it was Lady Tsunade's only condition to allow us to leave. I was afraid you wouldn't want to—"

"You should have informed me about this," she swiftly cut him off.

"I'm sorry," he whispered in such an apologetic voice that not even his student had heard before. Sakura curiously glanced at her sensei.

"However, there is no other choice now. We should set off now and plan our moves on the go." Her tone was final. She was the first one to walk to the gate and everyone else reluctantly followed. Kakashi went ahead of them to be near her.

"I hope you're not too mad at me," he said.

"I am trying not to," she dryly replied.

"It's ok, Tegami-san, you don't have to worry. They'll help us."

"Allow me to doubt it." Since Kakashi gave no response, she continued, "We are going against a man who has managed to frame me to the point where not even my brother trusts me anymore. Do you think it will be difficult for him to make the matter worse in front of all these people?"

Kakashi exhaled noisily. "You don't have to worry about them, trust me. Because I trust you, and they do too."

"May I inquire about it, then?" Their eyes met but she didn't wait for an answer. "Neji-san." The boy flinched.

"Yes?" His body was tensed and his mind focused.

"I suppose you have heard the rumors."

"Indeed I have."

"Will you please tell me what you think of it?" She caught a glimpse of his thoughtful expression.

"Nothing much," he said in the end, "there is still no solid evidence to prove those claims. I agree that the recent events have been quite convincing but I personally believe that it's not enough for an accusation."

Tegami was slightly amazed. "Is that really so?"

"Well, I don't know too much what you're all talking about," Kiba intervened, "but the Tegami-san I know wouldn't betray our village."

Her brows rose, "Really? Excuse me, Kiba-san, but I don't remember…"

"It's ok, I never expected you to." He grinned from ear to ear. "I saw you fighting last year, during Orochimaru's invasion. Hinata told me more about you afterwards."

Tegami kept quiet. She never thought that anyone would notice her like this and believe in her without even knowing her. Kakashi took advantage of her silence.

"See? I told you so," he whispered as close to her ear as he could. He then cleared his throat and added in a louder voice, "The sun is now rising. We should take a break to establish our course of action."

"According to the ANBU reports on Otafuku Gai, there's nothing left for us to do there. We should head straight north," Neji suggested.

Kakashi nodded, "Even without the reports, it was obvious that they'd pack up and leave Otafuku. But other than the 'northern allies' hint from that letter, we don't know exactly where to go."

"I think it should be a place close to the border," Tegami opined, "Some place where they can easily escape to a neighboring country as soon as they notice incoming danger." After a short pause she continued, "The shortest, thus safest escape route would be through Kusagakure to the Land of Earth."

"You suggest going north-west, then?" Neji concluded.

Tegami was waiting for Kakashi's response as she nodded. The kids had no idea but she knew that Kusagakure was where Kakashi had lost one of his teammates. It was a story he'd shared with her once when they had met at the memorial stone.

"But why would they want to go to the Land of Earth?" Kiba countered, "That place has a lot of ninja." Akamaru barked to back up his owner.

"That is exactly why," Tegami explained, "Iwagakure was Konoha's enemy during the Third Shinobi World War. Since these people are planning to attack our village, it would not be a hard task for this devious Shuryou man to get the Tsuchikage on his side. And if that happens…"

"Another war is sure to break out," Kakashi ended with a frown.

Heavy silence settled over them. They were all imagining the horrendous consequences if such a thing were to really occur.

Guy was the first one to speak, "Well, even if Tegami-san's claim is not accurate, it's worth checking it out. From what I've heard in the village, these guys are planning some big attack. Be it a war or just an invasion, I don't think they care for as long as they achieve their purpose."

"They're just a small organization, it would help them if they got back up from a powerful shinobi village, just like Orochimaru did," Neji added.

"Shouldn't we ask Lady Tsunade to send an official notice to Iwagakure?" Sakura suggested. "If we do that, they will be warned and—"

"If things were that easy," Tegami interrupted, "there would be no use for shinobi in this world." Her stern statement brought all eyes to her again. "Humans' ambitions and desire for power are not easily contained. If you just knew how childish and trivial the reasons for conflicts are, you would be surprised that we still live in peace."

Kakashi looked away. He understood that she was talking about her past experiences as a diplomat. He knew she'd witnessed quite a number of incredible incidents and he himself had seen people kill each other over some careless words mentioned in a sensitive situation.

"It's settled then, we'll go north-west," Kakashi suddenly pronounced, "We should also keep an eye out for anything unusual. There's no way to know where they actually are or what they're doing. Don't let your guard down."

As they nodded in agreement, everyone seemed determined to fight until the bitter end. But among them, there was one person better motivated than anyone else. Tegami had sworn to herself and her sensei that she would make things right. And she wasn't the kind to go back on her word.

II.

By nightfall the team had already set up their camp in the woods. It would have been much too risky to move in the dark. Tegami and Kakashi were keeping watch while the others were resting.

"Kakashi-san," Tegami called in a soft voice.

"Hm?" He was leaning against a tree, contemplating the night sky, with his hands in his pockets. Upon hearing his name, he looked down at his companion who was sitting on a rock next to him.

"I would…like to ask you for a favor," she meekly continued.

Her words sparked his interest. "What is it?" He sat down near her, still with his hands in his pockets, studying her countenance. She seemed troubled and concerned over something.

"Do you believe in me, Kakashi-san?" She glanced timidly at him to observe his reaction.

Kakashi was a bit confused but refrained himself from asking any questions. "Of course I do. I wouldn't be here otherwise."

She smiled, "Thank you. It's reassuring."

Stifling a sigh, he finally dared to ask, "Is something wrong?"

Tegami shook her head, "No. I just wanted to know. And also…" She turned around and knelt in front of him. "Kakashi-san, please…" She bit her lip. "No matter what, please don't give up on me. I would never betray your trust or our village."

Kakashi found himself at a loss. "Tegami-san…I don't understand…Why are you like this?"

"To be honest, I am really worried. I…I am afraid."

Kakashi stared at her bewildered. Out of all things, he had expected that the least. He was so taken aback that he couldn't say a word.

"I know it might sound stupid but…I am scared of what that man is going to do. I have been thinking about it. The letter mentioned an assassination plot. It could the Hokage or the Daimyo." She paused, gulping. "I have also been wondering why Hisashi let himself get caught so easily. They must have a plan. And they have unreasonably made me a part of it."

"Tegami-san, maybe you should go rest for tonight. I can keep watch by myself," Kakashi replied, putting his hand on her shoulder. She gently placed her fingers over his.

"Thank you, Kakashi-san," Tegami murmured, "I will definitely not disappoint you."

She looked him in the eye with a big yet somewhat sorrowful smile. Kakashi was unsure of what to do. Her mien seemed foreboding. Clutching her shoulder tightly, he pulled her forward and wrapped his other arm around her back. The hand from her shoulder went up to the back of her head as she nestled at his chest. He rested his chin instinctively atop her head while he caressed her hair, pulled up in a low ponytail at the base of her neck.

It suddenly occurred to Tegami that it was the third time they ended up awkwardly hugging each other and she didn't exactly know what to make of it. She had no particular interest in her senpai and she had always viewed him as a great shinobi and thoughtful friend. But something was strange indeed about their relationship.

"Kakashi-san," Tegami whispered, catching his attention.

He opened his eye wide, realizing what he was doing. He distanced himself from her in an instant and scrambled to his feet. In no time he returned to his cool and laidback demeanor, with one hand in his pocket, while he brought the other one to his mouth as he coughed.

"I-It's really cold…outside," he said, clearing his throat.

"Oh…yes. Yes, you're right. I…think I will go sleep a little after all. You should sit near the fire. Well then." She stood up and bowed to 90 degrees, afraid of meeting his eye. She quickly made her way inside the small, shabby building which once used to be a house.

Kakashi sighed, leaning back against the tree. There were no clouds so he could see the stars very well. He also searched for the moon but he caught no sight of it. Sighing again, Kakashi went to sit down in front of the fire. It was going to be a long night.

III.

"Are you sure it's them, Neji-san?" Tegami asked in a hushed voice.

The boy nodded, "They're a scary bunch, heavily armed and so well hidden. They're not shinobi so if they aren't the ones we're looking for then I have no idea what they could be."

Tegami frowned, "This was easy. Much too easy."

"And why complain about it?" Kiba grinned, "Let's just go there and beat the crap out of them!"

"Tegami-san is right," Neji countered, "Something is definitely suspicious about this."

"It's as if they have been expecting us…," Tegami muttered to herself but Kakashi, who was crouching next to her, could hear. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "Neji-san, can you see him? Can you see Shuryou?" Tegami asked again.

"Although I don't know what he looks like, I'm guessing he's the one who doesn't have the appearance of a road bandit," Neji replied.

"I am not sure if he bears any weapons but if he does, it's certainly nothing big. He has his bodyguards for that," Tegami added.

Neji searched the camouflaged building with his Byakugan. "There is someone like that. He's by himself in one of the rooms. He's sitting at a desk, reading some documents."

Tegami exhaled slowly, "Alone in his office, doing the paperwork. How fitting of a boss." She clenched her jaw and fists at the same time. "I'll go in first," she said, "to distract their attention. Once they're too busy beating me up, you can make your move and take them by surprise."

"I doubt they'll believe you're all alone," Kakashi interfered.

"I shall make them believe me, then. I came to settle my business by myself. Believable enough, I think." She stood up, about to leave their hiding spot behind the bushes. But Kakashi caught her wrist and stopped her just as she was taking a step forward.

"Don't rush it," he told her sternly. "You said it was too easy. If you're doing it like this, you'll fall directly into his trap."

"I can do this," she hissed and snatched her hand out of his grasp.

"It's too risky," Kakashi objected, "Let's just wait a little more and see what happens. If you go in right now, you'll endanger your own life."

"I'm going in because it's me." She sighed. "He won't hurt me, won't let them do it. He will take advantage of the situation to try to further complicate his scheme. He needs me alive until he accomplishes his mission." She breathed out, pursing her lips. "Have some faith in me, I know what I'm doing," she whispered.

They looked in each other's eyes for a few seconds, before Tegami turned her head away and walked off. She was as ostentatious as she could to catch the criminals' attention. Soon enough, she set off a trap. She avoided the tree trunks flying towards her with ease but got easily caught up in a net.

A man with a bandanna tied around his forehead came to collect the prey. Others followed him and they were all grinning as they took Tegami inside their den. Kakashi frowned disgusted at the looks of satisfactions imprinted on their faces.

"You must be tired, Neji, but please keep observing them. I want to know everything that happens in that place," Kakashi ordered. He leaned forward from behind a tree to catch a glimpse of where the entrance in the criminals' hideout was.

IV.

Although Neji had been using his kekkei genkai extensively for the past few hours, he ignored the fatigue and focused on fulfilling his task to the best of his abilities. With his Byakugan, he could see the bandits release Tegami from the net and steal her weapons before tying her up.

She was greeted with howls of joy and whistles as she was pushed through a crowd of rugged, brutal men, some of which were licking their lips or clapping their hands. Hearing the ruckus, the boss came out of his office with a scowl. He was obviously displeased by the fact that he had been disturbed.

However, his lips curled into an appeased smirk the moment his eyes fell on the unexpected guest. He walked closer and even took Tegami's chin in his hand. She shook her head violently, trying to get away from his as if he were a contagious disease. But he swiftly grabbed her hair and held her jaw tightly, forcing her to look him in the eye.

Muttering something to his subordinates, he took her to his office and cautiously locked the door. He then cut the ropes on her hands and smiled at her. Tegami said nothing, not even when he welcomed her with his arms wide open. They exchanged a few words for the following minutes, all the while Tegami had her brows furrowed and Shuryou was calmly pacing around.

All of a sudden, he hugged her from behind but she quickly shook him off. He took hold of her wrists and pushed her against the wall. It looked like they were having a fight in which Tegami completely disagreed with what he was saying. Her expression soon softened, though, and she let herself fall at the base of the wall. Shuryou scooped her up in his arms but she protested once again, causing him to drop her on the floor.

After helping her up, he lifted her up on his desk and slammed his palms down on either side of her as he stood in-between her legs. Their faces were so close that they almost kissed. Shuryou seemed quite caught up in the mood but Tegami was grimacing.

"I think we should prepare to go in," Neji stated, sweat dripping down his forehead.

Kakashi frowned. "What's the matter? Is she hurt that badly?"

It took Neji a few seconds to reply, "No, it's worse. He's…"

Just at that moment, Shuryou grabbed the sides of Tegami's face and kissed her fiercely. No matter how much she resisted, he wouldn't let her go. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her body and stuck her close to him.

Neji sprang out of the bushes, followed closely by Kiba and his sensei. Kakashi stayed behind, glaring. "Kakashi-sensei, what are you doing?" Sakura asked concerned, "Let's go!" she urged him and took off.

"Oh…Oh, yeah." After snapping out of his reverie, Kakashi also ran towards the secret hidden place.

"Kakashi-sensei, follow me," Neji called to him. "Sakura, please break the ground over here."

Kiba and Guy had gone towards the main entrance while the other three were standing above Shuryou's office.

"You son of a bitch!" Sakura yelled, gathering her chakra and punching the grass. The ceiling in Shuryou's office fell and the three Konoha shinobi descended in the room. They found Tegami and the boss in the same intimate position as Neji had seen them.

Shock was written all over Sakura's face while Neji kept his eyes away from the bitter truth he'd already witnessed. The most affected by the situation was Kakashi, who stared wide-eyed at the couple, bewildered, appalled and disappointed at the same time.

Their stunned reactions gave Shuryou the opportunity to run away through a secret opening in the wall. "Where do you think you're going, you bastard!" Sakura yelled as she followed Neji, who had set off immediately.

Kakashi was the only one who still didn't move and was still staring at the woman he had put his faith in. She was shivering, although he couldn't see it, and her knuckles had turned white because of her clenching her fists so tightly. She was biting her lip so hard that blood dripped down her chin and she felt too ashamed of herself to look at anything else besides her feet.

"Why didn't you stop him?" was the first thing Kakashi asked in such a composed manner that made her curious. But she only managed to catch a small glimpse of his mad mien before her remorse increased tenfold.

Tegami didn't respond. Tears formed in her eyes and quietly slid down her cheeks.

"Why didn't you stop him?" Kakashi asked again, this time louder. "_Why?_"

There was still no reply. Angered, he stomped towards her and grabbed her wrist, twisting it to make her look at him. She was crying, because of the pain, because of the disgrace, because of the guilt. His only visible eye looked sad, more than anything.

With a swift move, he knocked her out and caught her limp body in some sort of awkward embrace. He should've gone to help either Neji and Sakura, or Kiba and Guy, but his mind was blank at that moment. He only knew how to hold her close to him, caress her back and grip her wrist tightly. He was forced out of it when Neji and Sakura returned, upset that they had come back empty-handed.


	9. A Painful Interrogation

I.

Other than Tegami, a couple more criminals were brought back to Konoha for questioning. Most of the others had escaped, some even got killed. A team of ANBU had been called for back-up and Tegami had been arrested just like the others. She was escorted through the village by not only her former teammates, but also three ANBU members.

They had taken all her belongings, except for her clothes, and tied her hands at her back. Tegami walked with her head lowered, to avoid the villagers' eyes. She could hardly bear the shame. They happened to pass by her mother, who had gone out to the market with Seiichi.

"Tegami? Is that you, Tegami?"

Startled by the familiar voice, Tegami looked up. Yoshie ran towards her but she was blocked by one of the ANBU.

"Tegami! Tegami! No!" The woman cried so loud that everyone's attention was soon directed at her. "My child, my child! What are you doing?"

"Mother…" Seiichi knelt next to his mother and attempted to comfort her with a hug. He himself needed someone to comfort him, though. Tears fell down his cheeks as he watched his sister surrounded by ninja.

Kitte was also watching from a high rooftop. His brows were furrowed behind his ANBU mask. "Why did this happen?" he murmured to himself and vanished.

Tegami's journey ended at Ibiki's special interrogation chamber. It was a room much darker than before, and dirtier, full of sharp, dangerous tools.

"I was hoping I wouldn't have to meet you here, Tegami-san," Ibiki said as she was thrown in, "But you gave us no choice. Is there anything you'd like to share with me right now or do I have to rip it out of your mouth?"

Tegami struggled in a sitting position but refused to raise her head. She also refused to speak.

Ibiki sighed, "Well then, let's do this."

II.

Tsunade slammed her hand on her desk as she listened to Kakashi's report. She was infuriated that Tegami proved to be a traitor in the end and that Shuryou had got away.

"Where is she now?" the Hokage asked, her tone harsh.

"I believe she's being interrogated right now," Kakashi replied, his expression as impassive as always.

"Are you certain that…that she…"

"Leaving what Neji saw aside, it's a fact that she let him run away."

"I see. You're dismissed." Tsunade ended their placid conversation at that and bit her thumb. Stuff was getting too complicated.

Kakashi exited the Hokage's office with his usual nonchalant look. This time, however, nonchalance was just a cover for the inner battle of his feelings. On one hand, he was mad at himself for having put his faith in Tegami and having had his heart deeply broken afterwards. On the other, he still believed that there must have been a good reason behind her actions, that she wouldn't just turn her back on him and the village like that.

Swept up in a whirlpool of emotions, he headed straight towards the Kiyomizu bar, where he knew that no one would disturb him, and drank to his heart's content. And as he drank, he was wondering whether Tegami always had such confused feelings which caused her to ingurgitate so much alcohol. 'Of course,' he was thinking, 'someone who had to fool her friends and family for the sake of a lewd man…of course she was confused.'

After a while, his heavy head fell on the counter with a thud and a few stray tears rolled down from the corner of his eye. Yuuma found him like that and ordered some shochu for himself.

"Well, this is something you don't see every day," the older man said as he gulped down the first glass. And the second.

Kakashi straightened up with difficulty. "I've seen so many unusual things lately that nothing surprises me anymore," he replied with a sigh.

"Is it because of Tegami?" Yuuma asked, fixing Kakashi with his scrutinizing gaze.

"I wish it hadn't been."

Yuuma laughed, slamming the empty glass on the counter. "Then you shouldn't be wasting your time around here, young 'un."

Kakashi blinked, "Excuse me?"

Yuuma only grinned at him and held up his refilled glass. "Cheers!"

But Kakashi was in no mood for cheers.

III.

A loud shriek echoed through the interrogation room. Tegami fell down, dripping with sweat and her chest heaving. It was the worst kind of pain she had had to experience so far as a shinobi.

"No more…no more…," she panted, retreating in a corner like a rat preyed upon. "I will…I will tell you." She swallowed a knot in her throat and continued, "Everything… everything I know."

Ibiki's massive figure was looming over her, his mouth contorted into a grin halfway. "Good. It was about time. Speak up, I'm listening."

"I am…I am Shuryou's lover," she barely managed to whisper.

"What's his real name?"

She shook her head, "I don't know. Nobody does."

"How and where did you meet him?"

"At my father's…my stepfather's restaurant. He…" She paused to lick her dry lips. "He was loitering around there. He came to me first."

"So was it love at first sight?"

Tegami closed her mouth and attempted to even her breathing. "No," she said in the end, "I don't know what it was. I had no interest in him at the time."

"Then how did it happen? How did your relationship progress so much that you decided to betray your village for him?" Ibiki was burning on the inside. He was one of the few people who had wanted to believe in Tegami but this unfortunate twist had ruined all his hopes.

Her replies were slow because of her heavy breathing. "I… don't know. It just… happened. We met a couple of times and we…" She gulped, unable to say the word.

"…Made sweet love?" he mockingly continued on her behalf, "Is that what convinced you? His skills under the sheets?"

Tegami gritted her teeth and made no comment.

"Is that really it?" Ibiki insisted, doubtful. "Whatever, go on. When did you first meet?"

Tegami frowned thoughtfully, "A couple of years ago. We have only seen each other…a few times a year, when I was visiting my mother."

"When did he ask you to help him?"

"I can't remember clearly…a long time ago. But he only began materializing his plans much later. However…I don't know much about them."

Ibiki glared at her. Tegami switched her attention to the wall. "So what are his plans, exactly?"

She breathed out slowly, "Assassination. Of the Hokage."

"When?" His voice became stiffer.

"I don't know." She inhaled, "There's really not much that I know. He only asks me to do things…without telling me why."

"So you did what he asked you to?"

Tegami didn't respond. She was focused on controlling her breathing pace.

"That's enough," Ibiki said, "take her away."

Tegami closed her eyes because of the bright light invading the room as soon as the door was opened. She was dragged out and imprisoned.

"I'm surprised you ended up here," a deep male's voice emerged from the darkness. "Did they catch you red-handed?"

Straining her eyes, Tegami could see Hisashi confined in the cell across from her.

"That's a shame," he continued, "I feel truly sorry for you."

If she hadn't been in such a horrible condition, she would have rolled her eyes at him and spat out a vicious remark. Instead, she kept quiet, to preserve her energy.

"How can they treat one of their own like that?" Hisashi went on, "They could have at least tended to your wounds."

Tired of his comments, she finally decided to shut him up, "There's no mercy…for a traitor."

IV.

"Oi, Miyamoto!" one of Tegami's guards hollered, kicking her in the ribs to wake her up.

"Please don't do this," another voice spoke, grabbing the guard's wrist to prevent him from hitting Tegami again.

Moaning, she struggled to sit up and opened her eyes but her vision was blurred because of her messy hair.

"Who…is it?" she slurred, narrowing her eyes.

A hand reached out to her face and brushed the hair away. Its thumb went along Tegami's cheeks, wiping the dirt off. She blinked confused at the sight of her twin brother sitting cross-legged in her cell.

"Wha—what are you doing here?" she muttered, troubled.

"I came to visit, of course," Kitte cheerfully replied.

"Why would they let you in here?" She crawled back a little, suspicious of her twin's real motives.

He watched her move away with a pout. "You, how could you be scared of your own brother?" Kitte protested.

"I don't feel like I can trust you."

"Well, I _know_ I can't—I shouldn't trust you," he changed the word at the last minute, "but I'm still here."

"My point exactly. What…brings you here?" She gave him an once-over, ever more suspicious.

Kitte opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. "You…you're really the most ungrateful twin sister on Earth!" he blurted out, aghast.

Tegami sighed, keeping her cool. "All right…I get it. Just tell me what it is that you want from me."

Kitte stared at her bewildered for a second but then he looked away, clearly bothered by something.

"Could it be…," she whispered to herself and crawled closer. "Hey, Kitte listen," she called in a barely audible voice. "Why am I fat?"

Kitte looked incredulously at his sister. "Why ask me that, of all things?"

"Just because. Answer me, at once." He only smiled without saying anything. "Do you not remember?"

Kitte snickered, "How could I not remember? But I really can't understand what's up with you all of a sudden."

Tegami pursed her lips, irritated. "Well, then forget it. Why don't you leave? I think you should leave. Hanging around a traitor for so long won't do you any good."

She crawled on her knees in the corner farthest away from him and sat there, leaning against the wall.

"Seriously, Tegami, what's wrong with you?" he complained, exasperated. "Fine. You want to know why you're fat? Because you eat a lot and drink a lot. Other than when you go out on missions, you don't train as much as you used to. You use your mouth more than your body to fight and—" he came abruptly to a halt and avoided his sister's big brown orbs.

"And…and you worry too much…You don't have to cry every time those bullies bother you…because I—I will always, always…protect you." He raised his head as he finished speaking and locked gazes with his twin. "I screwed up, didn't I?"

He laughed shortly. "That's why you wanted to hear from me something I told you 15 years ago? To remind me how stupid I am? I'm sorry, Tegami…I failed you. I broke my promise."

She gulped, "Don't worry. Who keeps promises they made when they were nine? I just… wanted to check something." She said the last part in a lower voice but Kitte picked it up anyway.

"Check? What?"

"Shhh!" she quickly silenced him. "It doesn't concern you. More importantly, you still haven't told me what brings you here."

"I came to visit, didn't I say so?" He reached in his pouch and took out a seaweed wrapped rice ball. "I guess you didn't get to eat much."

Tegami gulped again. She had been fine without food until then but suddenly catching sight of something edible made her mouth water. Kitte walked over to her and cautiously fed her, warning her to chew slowly and bite a bit at a time, otherwise she might throw it all up.

"I couldn't bring dango but instead I had mom make some daifuku for you. Here." He took out a small package and unfolded it carefully.

The daifuku are made of glutinous rice pounded into paste and molded into shape, stuffed with a sweet filling, most commonly red bean paste. Tegami's personal favorites, thus Yoshie's typical choices for the filling are either whole strawberries or pieces of chocolate, sometimes even a combination of the two.

"Is it chocolate or strawberries?" Tegami eagerly asked upon the sight of the sweet goodies.

Kitte grinned proudly, "This one is strawberry, this one is chocolate and this one is both. Which one do you want to devour first?"

She chuckled, "Strawberry."

Kitte laughed at the silly manner in which she said it and decided to play along. "Say ah!" he cooed, flying the pink daifuku in her mouth. "Good girl! Now here comes another one! Ah!"

Tegami took the second daifuku in one bite. Her mouth was so full that her cheeks were puffed. Kitte held back a nostalgic smile. He hadn't seen her so joyful in a while.

"But…," Tegami began, swallowing the last bit of daifuku and having her mouth wiped by Kitte's hem at the same time, "how come they're letting you stay so long?"

He helped her drink some water from a small flask as he shrugged. "Not sure," he replied once he was done, "maybe they're hoping you'll tell me stuff you didn't tell them."

"I'm sorry I couldn't be of any help," she muttered.

"Wait, what?" Kitte stared at her in disbelief. Was that a ray of hope he was sensing? "I really wanted to ask you and I guess now is as good a time as any other." He hesitated. "Are you really that guy's…" He found the word too absurd to pronounce it.

However, Tegami's answer came unexpectedly, leaving him in a state of shock, "What if I was?"

V.

After a long day of painstaking interrogations, Ibiki was finally able to sit down and take a rest. He'd have to eventually put together his report to the Hokage but that could wait. He first had to sort out his own thoughts and mentally organize all the information he had gathered. Besides, he couldn't write down anything until Inoichi finished checking the veracity of the criminals' statements. They had provided Ibiki with some crucial intelligence which could not be easily trusted.

As he sat down by himself in the interrogation room, Ibiki was thinking about Tegami's confession. For some reason, he just couldn't believe it. It was true that Tegami was someone who could conceal her feelings and real self well, but her claim that she was Shuryou's lover contradicted her morals and principles. She was not the kind of woman who would easily fall for a guy under such circumstances. Ibiki was acquainted with her painful history of having been fooled by a guy while she was suffering from depression.

It had happened when she was 16 and the incident left a deep scar on her heart. She thus became apprehensive of the men approaching her, keeping a cold barrier between herself and the rest of the world. She only opened up to those she felt they cared about her and didn't have any ulterior motives to befriend her.

Therefore, Ibiki was wondering how she could have got over her phobia of sex and accept some strange guy's attentions. She couldn't have possibly been pretending for the past eight years. She wasn't even a Jonin at age 16, let alone a specialized one. She hadn't yet developed her lying skills at that age.

Things didn't add up. Ibiki was still troubled over that matter when Inoichi came rushing in. He looked as if he had discovered something very important.

"You're here," Ibiki stated simply, "let's get writing."

"There's no time for that," Inoichi said, alarmed, "we have to tell the Hokage right away."

Noticing the urgency in Inoichi's voice, Ibiki jumped up and hurried to the Hokage mansion, followed closely by his colleague. Despite the late hour, Lady Tsunade was still up in her office, going through papers and reading reports.

Her head snapped up as soon as she heard the knock on the door. "What's wrong?" she asked, catching on to the purpose of Ibiki and Inoichi's late night visit.

"We have concluded the questioning of the criminals brought in today," Inoichi spoke, "We have confirmed some of our suspicions and found out something of great significance."

"What is it?" Tsunade's brown orbs were fired up.

"First of all," Ibiki began, "Tegami admitted to be Shuryou's lover and told us that he's planning to assassinate you."

Tsunade stared at him wide-eyed, slamming her hands on her desk as she stood up. "_What?_"

"But that's not all," Inoichi continued, "The other captured suspects gave us some clues on Shuryou's hideouts. I've made sure to check it thoroughly and I have confirmed everything to be true. We know the location of six of his hideouts."

Tsunade bit her thumb and turned around to look out the window. "Do you have any other details regarding their plan?" She fixed Ibiki's reflection, frowning.

"Unfortunately, no," the master interrogator replied, "He didn't entrust Tegami with too much. It's understandable, Tegami being surrounded by ninja all day the risk of getting caught was very high."

"However, chances are that Shuryou has retreated to one of these six places," Inoichi intervened.

"Can you be certain?" Tsunade inquired. "He would know who got arrested and could assume what they would reveal. He wouldn't carelessly go to the first place that comes to his mind."

"The six locations are spread all across the Fire Country. If we send out small teams to look into each one of these places, we'll be sure to find him."

"Six teams could cover a much wider range than just the hiding spots," Ibiki added. "Considering how the six hideouts are located."

"If I am going to deploy a large number of capable people, I don't want it to be a waste of their time," Tsunade said, "We don't know how many hiding places this man could have. We also don't know the details of his plan. If we make a rash move, we could fall exactly into his trap."

"I doubt that he has any more places to hide in Fire Country and I don't think he would cross the border. His goal has been revealed now, he has to act soon before it's too late. Walking out now would mean disappearing forever," Inoichi explained.

Tsunade bit her thumb again as she was gazing down at the village. It wasn't easy to make such a decision. However, they had to do _something_. Now that she knew what Shuryou had in mind, she was even more worried. It wasn't just an attack or an invasion, he had a clearly established intention to kill her. It could have been a personal vendetta or a politically-driven plot. There was no way to know or find out.

And it mattered. If it was a personal thing, she would go out and deal with it herself. But if the reasons behind it were political...she feared that it might trigger a war. Whether he had the support of a ninja village or not was unknown. If she died and the Konoha elders were left to investigate it, they would definitely struggle to find a scapegoat and cause an unneeded ruckus.

Grabbing her cup of tea, Tsunade squeezed it so tightly that it broke. Shuryou had to be stopped as soon as possible, using whatever means necessary.

"Shizune, call an emergency meeting with the ANBU. Afterwards, summon all the available Jonin. If the elders say anything about it, tell them I'll talk to them later."

"Yes, Ma'am," Shizune said and ran off with Tonton in her arms.


	10. An Odd Visit

I.

Kakashi left the emergency meeting early in the morning, holding one of the _Icha Icha_ books in his hand. Six five-member ANBU teams were going to be deployed to look for Shuryou and all the Jonin had been warned to keep an eye out and be on their toes. The guard on the Hokage mansion was strengthened and four ANBU bodyguards were guarding the Hokage herself.

Kitte was assigned captain to the third search team, heading north. He was dissatisfied that he had to leave the village at such a time. He didn't want to leave his sister all alone in that dark and scary place. But he had no choice. The best thing he could do would be finding someone to keep her company once in a while and bring her food.

"Senpai!" he called, seeing Kakashi walk by himself. He caught up quickly with the older shinobi and greeted him shortly.

Kakashi looked up from his book with the same lazy expression that he always bore. "Oh, Kitte." He closed the book and put it in his pouch, resuming his usual hands-in-the-pockets stance. "What are you still doing here?"

The masked Kitte grinned, although Kakashi couldn't see it. "I have a favor to ask."

Kakashi scratched the back of his head, closing his eye as he smiled. "I'll listen to it although I'm not sure I can be of any help."

"Oh, you can!" Kitte merrily assured him. "You see, I'll depart in less than an hour but there's something I really have to do and won't be able to anymore. Can you please do it for me?"

"I'll let you know if I can once you tell me what it is," the Jonin replied, confused.

"There's no one else who can, senpai, I'm begging you. Help me out!" Kitte insisted.

"I will only if you tell me what this is all about." Kakashi sounded almost exasperated.

"Promise?"

If Kakashi had been able to see Kitte's face, he was sure he would have come across a pair of big, watery, puppy eyes staring cutely at him. Sighing, he agreed to promise, momentarily considering that he shouldn't have given in so easily.

"Thank you, senpai!" Kitte cheered. "Now, let me explain. I'll tell my father about this too. Later today, he'll bring you a package. All you have to do is take this package to Tegami and help her eat."

Kakashi was about to give an affirmative response before everything settled in but he soon realized what Kitte was saying. "You want me to visit Tegami in prison?"

"Yeah. What about it? You're the only I could think of that would be granted access in there."

"There's also Anko...," Kakashi hesitantly tried to make his way out of it.

"I know but it's better if you go. You're quieter."

"Kitte, I think you're forgetting something. I was there. I was the one who knocked her out and tied her up. I was the one who came up with that mission in the first place."

Kitte made a thoughtful pause. "My dad will look for you," he said at last and disappeared.

Kakashi was still staring in the distance when it finally dawned on him that he would have to feed Tegami, not just see her for a minute and walk off. He hadn't yet come to terms with her betrayal and he knew that he would have a hard time even looking at her.

But at the same time, he was wondering whether she ate well or not, worrying because he knew how big of an appetite she usually had. And although she wasn't the type to be picky about her food—so unlike her twin brother—prison food was definitely not at the top of her preference list.

Sighing, Kakashi continued on his way home and pondered on what he should say to her when they met. 'I'm here just because your brother asked me to, don't misunderstand' or 'It's not like I'm doing this because I want to' or 'I'll leave as soon as you're done eating' or 'I know you probably don't want to see me either but I don't really have a choice'.

Who was he trying to fool? Even though he felt uneasy meeting her under such circumstances, he really _wanted_ to see her. He was burning up with curiosity and concern. Was she hurt? Did she sleep well? Was she drinking enough water? Did the guards or the other prisoners bully her? Was she mistreated?

All those questions and a lot more were uncontrollably surging up within him, bringing along a multitude of indescribable feelings. He wanted to see her so badly and had so many things to ask her that he ended up anticipating it. He was still somewhat reluctant about it, though, uncertain of how he should act or react.

Once he reached home, Kakashi took off his Jonin vest and the headband and lay down on his bed, continuing to read his _Icha Icha _book. However, he couldn't stay focused.

He remembered that Tegami was an avid reader. She had even read the _Icha Icha_ series after her brother had given her one of the books as a birthday present. Despite her initial disgust with the book's content, she kept reading it out of courtesy for her brother and later claimed that it was 'useful research'.

Given her specialty to toy with men's minds, Kakashi could see where she was coming from. It had helped her develop her seduction techniques which were a vital part of her fighting strategy.

His reminiscing about Tegami made him think about her paradoxical personality. She hated her body and despised flirting, yet had centered her strategy on those two things. She used her body to lure in the enemy, then talked to him to distract him until she could deliver a damaging blow.

Unfortunately, it didn't always work well in battle, especially when she was up against more than one opponent. She adapted quickly to any team she was assigned to but she had a hard time by herself which was why she hadn't been promoted to ANBU, although she was excellent when it came to undercover and information-gathering missions. It was proof that she did belong to the Shishatori clan, which was renowned for its talented diplomats and stealthy ninja.

"Why do I keep thinking about her?" Kakashi wondered aloud, dropping the book on the floor as his arm hung by the side of the bed. He brought the other one to his face, shielding his eyes with his forearm. He glanced at the ceiling for a second before closing his eyes.

The sun was shining brightly but Kakashi couldn't feel its warmth. He was too engulfed in his own desolate misery.

II.

It was Yuuma who broke the official news to his family. Yoshie had desperately asked what was going on the previous day and Yuuma was finally able to come with an answer from the meeting with the Hokage. He confirmed that Tegami had been arrested and also revealed the reasons why.

She had admitted to be Shuryou's lover and was thus charged with treason. Her sentence was yet to be decided but for the time being, she was relieved of her duties and her headband, along with all her weapons, had been confiscated.

Even though Seiichi was supporting her, Yoshie collapsed, unable to say a word because of the tears flowing out continuously. "Why, why did something like this have to happen?"

She was emotionally ruined. First her husband, then her precious daughter. It was too much for her to handle.

"Seiichi, go make some tea for your mother. I'll take her upstairs," Yuuma told his step-son.

The boy nodded, attempting to seem strong but it was obvious in his eyes that he was weakened as well. Yuuma noticed that as he was helping Yoshie up.

He took her to his room and let her sleep on his bed. "Wait," she pleaded, grabbing his wrist. She made use of all her strength to sit up and look him in the eye. "My daughter… our daughter…you won't abandon her, right?"

Her voice was nothing more than a strained whisper. Yuuma tenderly caressed the back of her hand with his thumb.

"I won't," he said softly, "I never have and I never will."

Their sweet moment was interrupted by a third party, unbeknownst to Yoshie. Yuuma sensed his son's presence and excused himself. They met in Kitte's room.

"Anything new?"

Kitte lifted his mask. "I'll be off soon. I'll find him, I swear, and I'll tear him apart as soon as he reveals the whole truth."

Yuuma patted his son on the shoulder. "Don't act rashly. Don't think about your sister, think about the village and its safety. That's your primary duty as a shinobi. Personal matters come later."

Kitte swallowed his words of protest and only looked away. "I know. That's why I want you to take care of her."

"That goes without saying," Yuuma quickly replied.

"Ask mom to make a lunch box for Tegami, like the one she made yesterday. Take it to Kakashi-senpai. They'll let him in for sure."

Yuuma nodded, "All right, I got it." He ruffled his son's hair and hit his shoulder before holding it tightly. "Go now. Be careful and keep your emotions at bay. Don't worry. I'll handle things here."

Kitte smiled, grateful, and pulled his mask down. "I'm off. Don't let Tegami starve. And make sure that mom eats well and rests well. And…"

"Just go already!" Yuuma urged him and kicked him in the butt. "I know what I have to do. You forget who's the head of the family here."

Kitte shook his head and saluted his father as he jumped out of the window. He was immediately out of sight.

Yuuma descended to the kitchen, where his parents were waiting. They had sent Kazue and Seiichi to watch over Yoshie so that they could have a more detailed talk with their son.

"What's this all about?" Momoe harshly questioned as soon as Yuuma showed up.

The man sighed and took a seat. "I don't know much, either. But this set-up is getting too far."

"Set-up? What do you mean, set-up?" Yukio also sat down, across from his son. "She said it herself, with her own mouth! She was caught—" The old man let out a heavy breath. "She was caught kissing him and didn't mover a finger when he ran away! You can still call this a set-up?"

Yuuma glanced accusingly at his father, "I see you're familiar with the entire situation. What more do you want from me? If you dare to suspect your own granddaughter, then I have nothing more to tell you."

Yukio slammed his fist on the table. Yuuma didn't even flinch. "Do you think I want to suspect her? She has my blood running through her veins, too, I feel as protective of her as you do! But do you think there's anything we can do for her now that she has confessed? I doubt it."

"Doubting her, even the slightest bit, is the same thing as abandoning her. If you'll excuse me."

Yuuma stood up, boiling with anger, and retreated to his room. He watched over Yoshie as she slept and smoothed out the furrowed skin between her eyebrows. Her troubled mien made him uneasy. How much she must have suffered, to frown even in her sleep.

III.

At about noon, a loud knock on the door awoke Kakashi from his deep slumber. Startled, he scrambled to his feet and managed to compose himself by the time he reached the front door, surprised that he had been so caught up in his dreamless sleep.

"Oh, Yuuma-san," he politely greeted the older man standing outside. "Please come in," he added, stepping to the side.

"Yo," Yuuma replied, grinning. "It's ok, I won't be long. I just came to give you this." He took out a small package from his pouch. "There's a rice ball and some daifuku in there. Kitte told me you'd bring these to Tegami. Make sure to take some water with you, too."

Yuuma held up his hand and disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving a perplexed Kakashi behind. Blinking away his bewilderment, he dragged his feet back inside and set the small package on his desk.

"Will she be all right with just this?" he murmured to himself as he was staring down at the small lunch box. It was small enough to fit in Yuuma's pouch so Kakashi guessed that it didn't contain much.

He sighed. Why was he suddenly so bothered by it?

"This won't do," he muttered in the end and went to the kitchen.

IV.

Kakashi showed up at the prison, carrying an additional cloth-wrapped box in one of his hands.

"Kakashi-san, what are you doing here?" The guards were taken aback to see him. "Don't tell me…you're here for Miyamoto?" one of them asked. "Why bother for that traitor?"

"I'm just doing her brother a favor. Will you please let me in?"

The guard fixed him with reluctance. "He came by the other day. I made an exception for him, I guess I could make one for you too," he said and unlocked the door to Tegami's cell.

Kakashi undid the knot of his package and gave something to the guards. It was a big share of miso soup with eggplant which he had specifically cooked for Tegami. "Enjoy," he smiled at the guards and went inside the cell, carefully closing the door behind him.

Tegami was crouched in a dark corner, hugging her knees. The rope on her hands had been replaced with iron handcuffs, a pair similar to those on her ankles. Kakashi was a bit disappointed to see that the chain connecting the cuffs was long enough to allow her to feed herself. After all the mental preparation he had gone through, all his expectations had been ruined.

"Tegami-san," he called gently, afraid that he might startle her.

She raised her head slowly and locked gazes with him. He didn't know what he had expected to see but what he did see was unlike anything that he could have ever expected.

Tegami's usually very expressive eyes were blank, void of any willpower, tired, hopeless and cold. Her hair was obscuring her face but he could make eye-contact and it felt like a large, sharp blade had just stabbed him in the stomach.

_You're just incredibly hungry, aren't you? Please, just be hungry…_

He put the food down and knelt next to her. "Tegami…can you hear me?" He unknowingly dropped the honorifics. "Tegami, if you can hear me, move your fingers." Her left index finger flinched. It was a quick, short move but Kakashi's eagle eye caught on it. "Good. Here."

He unwrapped the package and took out the still warm bowl of miso soup. "Here." He crawled as close to her as he could. He tried to bring a spoon up to her mouth but noticed that her hair was getting in the way.

With utmost caution, he put a hand behind her head and gathered her hair in some sort of makeshift bun, secured with one of her own long locks. "There you go." He very kindly smiled at her, hoping it would warm her up a little bit.

There was no reaction, though. Only her eyes moved, scrutinizing the bowl of soup, Kakashi's hands and stopped on his face. The silence was unbearable but he couldn't do anything to break it, either. Her fixed stare had frozen his blood, making him shiver, but otherwise unable to move.

"Why are you here?" she barely said at last, without taking her eyes off him. She breathed in and exhaled softly. "Why did Kitte send you here?"

Kakashi gulped. Her sudden question caught him off-guard. "Because he couldn't come. He's on a mission." His response was mechanical. He'd thought about it over and over again, foreseeing her queries.

"I see…He's a busy guy, as always." A vague hint of a smile tugged at the corners of her lips. "Did you bring me soup?" She switched her attention to the bowl of miso.

"Uh…uh, yeah," Kakashi stuttered, still in a state of shock. "It's miso soup with eggplant. I thought you'd need something more than rice."

"That was very thoughtful of you."

Kakashi picked up the bowl and hesitantly handed it to her. She took it with both hands, placing it atop her knees. As she was slurping the soup, Kakashi unpacked the rice ball and brought it close to her face. Surprisingly, she stretched her neck and bit on it, while keeping the bowl safe.

"Do you have some water?" she asked her visitor as she quietly chewed the rice.

"Uh…yeah." He'd remembered Yuuma's words in time and grabbed a bottle of water at the last minute. He helped her drink then let her have one more bite of rice.

Tegami finished her improvised meal without saying another word. There was no change in her expression, not even when she ate the daifuku. She paid no mind to Kakashi, as if he wasn't even there. He wasn't exactly happy about it, although he could understand why she would hate him.

"Thank you," she muttered in the end as she was wiping her mouth. "The soup tasted strangely well." She displayed a crooked grin. "I think I would be capable of eating anything now, though."

"I'm sorry, I would have brought something better but..."

She snickered, "Why are you apologizing? You did a good deed."

"Tegami..."

Her eyes flickered.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't...I shouldn't have done something so stupid. That mission was my idea. A bad idea." He looked away. "I won't ask you to forgive me. I just want you to know...that I regret it."

Tegami didn't respond for a while. Kakashi decided that there was nothing left for him to do and packed up, ready to leave. As he was opening the prison door, he glanced one last time at Tegami over his shoulder and caught her staring at him. Her gaze was a little softer than before.

"I don't regret it. Everything happens for a reason."

Her words left quite an impression on him. But he didn't know what to say in return.

V.

"Kakashi-san, wait!"

Kakashi, who was on his way home from the prison, stopped in the middle of the road and turned around. It was Iruka who had called out his name.

"Oh, Iruka-sensei. Is something the matter?"

Iruka was running towards the Jonin, seemingly out of breath. "I've wanted to talk to you since yesterday but I haven't had the chance."

Kakashi didn't appear to be too interested. "Sure. What is it?"

"About Tegami-san..."

Kakashi frowned, "What about her?"

"She was wrongly accused!" the Chuunin blurted out, "I don't know what happened on that mission but I can swear on my life that she's innocent. She shouldn't be in prison!"

"Why tell me that? You're right, you don't know what happened. But I do. I was there."

Iruka gulped. He'd had a confrontation with the masked Jonin before, regarding his former students, and he'd lost it. "Exactly. If you know, then—"

"I took care of her myself," Kakashi cut in.

"Wha—what?"

"I just went to see her, too. She looked awful. Just the way a guilty person should."

"What are you talking about?!" Iruka was desperate. How could this man be so mean to him?

"It's the truth. She confessed. What more do you need to know?"

"It's _you _who needs to know more!" Iruka yelled, "You have no idea what she's been through, do you? You don't know how much she suffered because of her sensei's death. She was depressed for a long time after that and when she finally thought that she had found someone who could help her up, he made her fall again."

His expression gradually saddened. "Tegami-san is—"

"Iruka-sensei, I know that you two used to be classmates, but that doesn't make her innocent." Kakashi's stern mien made his interlocutor speechless. "If you cared so much about her, you should have kept her on the right path yourself."

With that, Kakashi continued on his way, without even feeling sorry for the academy teacher. He hadn't been aware of that particular incident from Tegami's past, he must have been away from the village when it happened. Kitte had also just been promoted to Jonin back then, thus they still hadn't had a close relationship.

But even if Iruka was right, he shouldn't make reckless comments like that, when he didn't have any idea about what was actually going on.


	11. A Surprise Attack

I.

Tegami lay down, making herself as comfortable as she could on the cold concrete. Although she didn't feel like sleeping, she wasn't planning on staying awake the whole night. It was troublesome enough to sit throughout the whole day without doing anything. There was no point to do the same thing at night as well.

She was bored. They didn't let her read and she couldn't eat whenever she wanted. She had spent her time thinking for the past two days, reflecting on her actions. Frustration had pent up within her, along with a lot other negative emotions. She was frustrated at the fact that she hadn't been of any use, that she still wasn't of any use.

She wished for something to happen. Something that would put an end to the monotony of her existence. Be it her execution or…

Tegami slowly rose. She turned her head around, searching the darkness for Hisashi's eyes. Despite the lack of moonlight, his gray irises were glowing coldly. In a flash, there was blood spraying out of the guards' bodies. They fell down lifeless, their eyes wide open.

One of them was looking straight at Tegami. She clenched her jaw, staring in horror at the dead man who seemed to accuse her.

A shadow approached the door of her cell and unlocked it. Hisashi grabbed her arm and dragged her out but didn't take off her cuffs. Two masked shadows were standing behind him. One of them handed him a sword.

"It's not the same but it will have to do," the white haired man said after he examined the blade closely. "Let's go." He held Tegami by her elbow and pulled her along forcefully.

"Where are we going?" she finally mustered up the determination to ask.

"Some place better than here."

They sneaked out of prison and stealthily made their way up the HokageMountain. Hisashi had to carry his former prison mate almost half the time because of the chains slowing her down.

"What are you planning to do?" she inquired, concern clear in her voice.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm going to kill you." Hisashi turned around just as the other two men immobilized Tegami.

He swung his sword and struck, but luckily she managed to block the blade with the chain connecting her handcuffs. It was difficult for her to move her feet and her strength had also been weakened due to the time spent starving in prison.

Hisashi smirked. "That was just a glimpse of luck." He twisted the sword around, holding it low, on hip level. He had it pointed at Tegami's stomach.

Just as he thrust it forward, Tegami touched the arms of her captors, making them go numb. She used one of them as a human shield, blocking Hisashi's blow again in the nick of time.

She took hold of the other man and dashed forward, while Hisashi was busy recovering his sword. She didn't manage to get too far, though, because she couldn't run properly. Her hostage almost regained his senses completely but Tegami used her Lightning release jutsu on him again.

Having reached the edge of the mountain, she didn't have much of a choice left. Even if she used the guy as a human shield again, she'd be left without defense afterwards. Her only option was to jump off but that would mean certain death.

Tegami was standing under the Third's ear, just above the Fourth's head. The Hokage mansion was right below. Without second thoughts, she toppled over the railing together with her paralyzed hostage. She managed to hit the brake before she rolled off the Fourth's head.

Before Hisashi could come get her, she made use of all her strength and jumped, holding on tightly to the body beneath her. She landed almost safely on the roof of the Hokage mansion, most of the damage being inflicted on the body of her hostage, instead of her own.

It was just a matter of time before Hisashi would realize that she wasn't dead. He was looking down at her from the top of the mountain. Making a couple of handsigns, she spun around, yelling, "Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

Unfortunately, the distance between them was too big. Hisashi was barely fazed by the powerful gust of wind but he did have to cover his eyes. By the time he opened them, Tegami was gone.

II.

"What the hell happened here?!" a Konoha Jonin shouted upon seeing the mess in the prison. All the guards were lying down dead and two of the cells were open. "No way… Hisashi's free and he took Miyamoto with him! We have to alert the Hokage!"

He and his colleagues rushed out and hurried to the Hokage mansion. They were all dead before they could go in, though. Hisashi had to relieve his anger caused by Tegami's escape. He would have gladly gone looking for her but he had a more important assignment to accomplish.

Certain that she'd noticed the ruckus outside, Hisashi didn't bother to look for the Hokage anywhere else besides her office. He found her at her desk, surrounded by four ANBU.

"You're the Hokage and yet you need this many bodyguards?" he mockingly asked.

"That's just because you're not worth dirtying my hands. Go get him!" she ordered.

The ANBU charged forward, clashing swords with him. Hisashi managed to avoid a fatal blow but he was kicked out in the hallway. While he kept the ANBU occupied, someone else broke in through the window.

Tsunade didn't notice it in time and could only duck her head and shield it with her forearms. A strong hand gripped her nape, holding her down, and one of her arms was twisted at her back.

Tsunade glanced up at the man standing before her desk. He was grinning smugly, with his arms crossed over his chest. He hissed, "I've been looking forward to this day."

Tsunade struggled to break free. "Why? Who the hell are you?!"

"You wouldn't know even if I told you…But you've been talking a lot about me, lately. I'm generally known as Shuryou. As for my real name…I'd rather keep it secret a little longer."

III.

Kakashi observed the confrontation between Hisashi and Tegami from the roof of his apartment building. To make sure he wasn't mistaken, he went all the way to the prison to confirm that those two had indeed escaped.

Tegami's cell was empty, as well as Hisashi's. However, there were no signs of the locks having been forced or otherwise damaged. The doors had both been opened with their respective keys.

The weirder thing, though, were the cuffs left behind in Hisashi's cell. Those, too, were unharmed. On a closer look, Kakashi could tell that the cuffs hadn't been forced off, either.

He frowned. How could have Hisashi had access to the keys, while still imprisoned? Considering the place where he found them, it was obvious that Hisashi had taken off his cuffs before he exited the cell. Which meant that he had somehow taken hold of the keys from inside.

But how? His movements were limited by the chains. The only possibility would be having been helped by someone from outside, who probably also unlocked the door.

"This doesn't look too good…," he muttered, turning around.

The guards were dead but there was no way to know whether Hisashi had killed them, or his accomplice.

Walking to Tegami's cell, Kakashi suddenly noticed that her cuffs were missing. He looked for them all over the place, thinking that she might have taken them off once outside, but there was no trace of them.

"Why would they let her out without removing the cuffs?"

He then thought of something else. If Hisashi was free, it meant that Shuryou's plan had commenced. Hisashi had disappeared from the HokageMountain because he'd gone to the Hokage herself.

What about Tegami then?

IV.

Hisashi returned to Tsunade's office with a bloody face and sword. He had a few minor wounds but other than that, he was dirty with the ANBU members' blood.

"Oh, I guess you do know _him_," Shuryou exclaimed, putting an arm around Hisashi's shoulders. "He's a great guy. I was lucky to find him when he tried to kill me once."

"How come you're still alive?" Tsunade asked, curious.

"Oh, we made a deal. I told him I'd give him people to kill and he agreed to help me out," he said leisurely. "I also kept him hidden from the shinobi hunting him down. I could say it's a win-win situation."

"Why are you doing this?" Tsunade was growing restless because of the guy's attitude. He was too easygoing. "What have I done to you?"

"Oh, it's nothing personal." He shook his hand dismissively.

"Then what do you want from us? If you behave, we might come to an agreement." Tsunade wasn't struggling anymore. She'd settled down, waiting.

Shuryou laughed at her proposal, seemingly very amused. It took him a while to compose himself, he was laughing that heartily.

"Ah, no, you see. I can achieve my purposes only by taking you out." He sighed. "Ah, by the way. Hisashi, where's my darling?"

"She got away," came the short reply.

"She…_what_?"

A frown was visible on Shuryou's serene expression for the first time. His hand shot up to Hisashi's hair.

"You let her…get…away?" He put emphasis on his words by making dramatic pauses. Shuryou closed his eyes and breathed in. "Go find her. Quickly."

Hisashi left without a word. But as soon as he stepped out of the Hokage mansion, he was greeted by a bunch of Jonin and Chuunin, led by Kakashi.

"You're finally here," the assassin said simply. "But I can't be bothered to waste my time with you." As he raised his hand, other shinobi appeared from all over the place. They were all wearing either the typical green vests, or ANBU outfits.

"So that's what happened...," Kakashi muttered, realizing how Hisashi had got out of prison. But the number of accomplices was much larger than what he had initially expected. "Take care of this," he told his fellow shinobi and went after Hisashi.

The chase didn't last long. Hisashi came to halt in the nearby forest, quite unwilling to take Kakashi on.

"I guess I have no choice but to finish you quickly."

"Don't take me lightly," Kakashi warned, lifting his headband.

"The sharingan? Already?"

"I have no time to be wasting with you either."

V.

At long last Tegami arrived at the Shishatori domains. The chains were much tougher than she had expected. She hadn't been able to break them, no matter how hard she had tried.

She snuck along the trodden paths, through the grass, taking cover behind the trees. She was afraid that someone might spot her and attack her. Fortunately, she reached her home quietly but couldn't go past the locked front door.

She didn't knock. Instead, she went around the house to the back window through which Hisashi had entered the last time. It took her some time to open it, though, because the lock had been changed. Still, she made her way inside in the end but didn't get too far. The lights were turned on and she froze in place because of the sudden brightness.

"Well, I would have never seen this one coming," a voice spoke. Tegami recognized it as being her father's.

The lights went off and Tegami felt a hand taking hers. Yuuma guided his daughter up the stairs, to her brother's bedroom. He closed the shutters and turned on a small lamp on his desk. Searching one of its drawers, Yuuma took out a strange tool with which he forced open the cuffs.

"Father...," Tegami whispered, uncertain of what to say.

"Kakashi sent a message. Said you broke out of prison."

"Kakashi-san did?"

Yuuma snorted, "Still calling him that?"

"How would you like me to call him, then?" she responded, confused.

"I guess 'Kakashi' would suffice." He grinned.

Tegami was rubbing her wrists, pondering on her father's suggestion. "Ka...kashi..."

"Here." Yuuma pulled her out of her reverie by shoving a sword under her nose. "Kakashi and the others are at the Hokage mansion. Lady Tsunade is in danger."

Tegami took the sword, looking up at her father. "I heard Kitte is on a mission. Why? What happened? I told them about the assassination."

Yuuma also gave a pouch to his daughter, full of kunai and shuriken stars. "Oh, and this too." He gave her an orange, crystal-shaped earring.

Tegami held it in her palm, staring at it with melancholy. It wasn't just an earring. It was a small vial filled with poison. She usually wore an earring like that in her left ear but it had been confiscated from her upon her arrest. Her brother had one as well, but he wore it in his right ear. She put it on with a smile.

"Father...thank you," she spoke softly, stretching out her hand towards her father. Yuuma took it and kissed it, then stepped close to her, gently hugging her.

"It was the least I could do for you, my daughter." He kissed her head and caressed her back. "I'll go see what's going on at the Hokage's mansion. Hisashi is probably looking for you. Kakashi, too."

"Eh?" She raised her head. She heard something strange in her father's voice. A smile. A sly grin.

"Be careful." He patted her head and left.

Tegami descended to the kitchen, where she washed her face and hands. She ate some cold rice and a piece of cake, which reminded her of her mother. Slowly and carefully, she went back upstairs, to her bedroom. Seiichi and Kazue had spread two blankets on the floor, letting Yoshie sleep on the bed.

Tegami smiled, relieved. "I am so glad to see you are all safe," she murmured to herself, almost shedding a few tears of happiness.

Closing the door with caution, she tiptoed across the hallway, towards a window. The door to her grandparents' bedroom suddenly opened and Yukio stepped outside. Tegami tensed. Yukio said nothing. He just quietly glared at his granddaughter but moved back to let her pass.

Tegami didn't hesitate. She jumped out of the window, and hopped from branch to branch, all the way to the first building of the village. She gazed down at the fight between the Konoha shinobi and...Konoha shinobi.

"Damn," she muttered, clenching her fist.

She felt that she couldn't go down there. Her being out of prison at the time of such an attack was rather suspicious. If some of her colleagues who didn't trust her at all would see her there, they would assume she was their enemy.

"Hm?" Her brows came together as she was scrutinizing the crowd for Kakashi. But no matter how much she looked, she couldn't see him. "Don't tell me..."

She summoned Yomichi, in a desperate attempt to find him as soon as possible. She had a hunch but hoped that she'd be wrong.

VI.

The darkness of the night was slowly fading. The dawn was breaking, revealing the shy, orange sun. Tegami set off as soon as her reconnaissance owl returned.

Kakashi and Hisashi had been fighting for a while. Most of the trees around them had been wiped out. Just one or two had been left standing here and there. Both men were exhausted but Kakashi displayed it more properly. Hisashi was quite impassive, although he was covered in blood, most of it his own.

"We've dragged this out for too long," Hisashi stated, not just annoyed, but also incredibly tired. His inactivity in prison, along with the previous fight had begun to take their toll on him

"I agree. But we can't end it unless one of us dies here." Kakashi had his right eye closed, focusing his sharingan on his opponent. He was holding on to his injured arm but still attempted another Raikiri.

He charged at Hisashi but the assassin's reflexes were still quick. He dodged Kakashi's attack at the last second, which made the Jonin get his hand stuck in a tree. Hisashi took advantage of this opportunity and switched to the offensive. His aim was perfect and his target clear. However, the blade never reached its destination.

Both men's eyes widened as a third party intervened in their fight. Tegami had unexpectedly butted in, blocking Hisashi's way.

"Why...you...," the assassin murmured, bewildered.

Tegami grabbed the blade piercing her right side. "Tenketsu...shinkei..."

It was the same Lightning jutsu she had used on Hisashi's accomplices. Even though she didn't touch his body, the iron worked as a conductor and the impulses got to his brain, making it order to the muscles to relax. As a result, Hisashi let go of the sword and collapsed. Tegami, too, fell to her knees. Kakashi managed to free himself in the end and rushed to her.

"Tegami! Tegami!"

He pressed his hand on her wound, aiming to stop the bleeding. He held her by her shoulders with his other arm but that was the best he could do. He needed help, but at the same time was afraid to move her. From the looks of it, the sword could have penetrated her liver. He couldn't afford to be careless.

"Tegami! Tegami, please don't die! Tegami!"

"Kakashi-sensei!"

That was Sakura's voice. Was it a dream? "Sakura, over here!" he called, alarmed.

Sakura came, carrying a white pigeon on her shoulder. Tegami had been smart enough to call for back-up before engaging in battle.

"Tegami-san!" The girl knelt next to Tegami and took a quick look at her wound. "This looks bad…we should hurry to the hospital." Sakura looked around herself, apparently searching for something. "We need something like a stretcher to carry her."

"Can't I just carry her?" Kakashi suggested but Sakura's brows furrowed with concern.

"Kakashi-san, you're in no shape…"

"I'll do it," a voice came from the background. Morino Ibiki had appeared from the shadows. He also had a white pigeon on his shoulder.

Kakashi reluctantly stepped away and let the master interrogator take over. Sakura gave him strict instructions on how to hold her and replaced Kakashi's hand with hers on the wound.

"Kakashi-sensei, aren't you coming? You're in need of some treatment as well," Sakura said as they were leaving.

"I will but I have something to do first." Restoring his composure, Kakashi turned to his former opponent who had just regained control over his body.

"I never meant to kill her," Hisashi muttered on a tone that piqued Kakashi's curiosity. "I knew she'd find a way to escape, she's smart, that girl." The Jonin looked at him from the corner of his eye. What was Hisashi blabbering about?

"Kill me now, I deserve it," Hisashi requested.

"Why?" Kakashi wished to know as he took out a kunai.

Hisashi smirked, "She did the same stupid thing as her sensei. We both know that you would've dodged."

Seeing that Kakashi was staring at him, stunned, Hisashi threw himself at the kunai.

* * *

_A/N: This is the picture I used to describe the Hokage monument and Tegami's jump:_

_ . /naruto/images/thumb/d/df/Hokage_Monument_in_ /800px-Hokage_Monument_in_ _


	12. An Unbelievable Discovery

I.

Word soon got to Shuryou that his best player had been taken out. He was unable to contain the fury contorting his face even as he strangled the innocent messenger.

"_Who? Who _dared to kill him?" he hissed through his teeth but the questioned man couldn't answer. He was too busy choking in Shuryou's grasp.

Realizing it, Shuryou threw the man down on the floor and breathed in deeply. "Who killed him?" he repeated in a more collected voice.

The strangled man gasped for air. "It was Hatake Kakashi…who delivered the fatal blow... but it was Miyamoto Tegami's jutsu…that knocked him down."

Shuryou slid his eyes open, revealing a pair of bloodshot orbs. "That…that _bitch_? Argh!" he roared, punching the wall behind him.

Tsunade watched him curiously. Although her arm had become sore, she still refrained herself from making a move. She had correctly guessed that Shuryou's surprise attack had been carefully staged to ambush the village at a time when a lot of outstanding ninja were away.

And if he was aware of that particular detail, it meant that there had been a mole, a spy that had infiltrated the higher levels of Konoha's Jonin, maybe even the ANBU task force.

"I told him…I told him to finish her off right there. But, no…he had to go off and do stupid things by himself. Let's go." Shuryou signaled to his men to take Tsunade and follow him.

She didn't protest and let herself be led through the hallways she knew so well, up to the roof. The sun had just risen, giving a peculiar glow to the monument above her.

"What is this guy doing here?" Shuryou asked, spotting the dead man that had served as Tegami's shield. The boss went to him and pulled his head up by his hair to check his face. There wasn't much left to see, though. Shuryou stood up, cringing.

"I think he was one of the guys who got Hisashi out of prison," the man holding Tsunade said.

"I would think so too…," his boss replied, "but why did he end up dead _here_?" He kicked the corpse, demonstrating his utter annoyance. He then walked to the edge of the roof and observed with sick pleasure the crowd from below.

"Hello, dear Konoha citizens!" he greeted with enthusiasm. "Today…is a big day."

He made a sign to his man to bring Tsunade forward. The shocked cries of the onlookers were like music to his ears.

"Yes, your beloved Hokage! The lovely Lady Tsunade!"

The few fake shinobi that were still alive climbed on the rooftop of the HokageMansion. The Jonin were looking helpless at their Hokage held hostage.

"How could something like this happen?" Kurenai muttered.

"I'm sure we'll find a way out of it," Asuma replied calmly.

Tsunade looked down with a frown. Glancing at Shuryou, she saw that he was too preoccupied with basking in his glory and she nodded slightly. None of her guards could notice her gesture but her signal was well received.

All the shinobi around Tsunade collapsed all of a sudden. The Hokage smirked at the sight of the poisoned senbon embedded in their backs.

"What in the world—" Shuryou stared astonished at his dead henchmen.

"This game is over, Shuryou, or whatever your name is," Tsunade victoriously stated.

"What is the meaning of this?! _How!_" He stumbled back, his eyes so wide that they almost popped out of their sockets.

"That's not how you carry out an assassination plot. You really thought that you could kill me in the middle of my village?!" the Hokage thundered, relieving her anger.

She stomped towards him and punched him straight in the face. He fell down, holding on to his broken nose, but managed to dodge Tsunade's second blow. He evaded her fist at the last moment, jumping up and disappearing.

He reappeared right behind her, out of the blue, wrapping his forearm around her neck. The kunai in his hand came dangerously close to Tsunade's throat but she twisted his wrist and threw him over her head. She immobilized him completely by twisting his whole arm, earning a loud, pained shriek from the mighty boss.

"Well. That was quick." Straightening up, Tsunade put her hands on her hips as she looked down on her opponent, smirking.

II.

Kakashi was waiting on the bench outside the operation room. He'd had his own wounds patched up but he was more concerned for Tegami. He was thinking that she must have felt the same when her sensei had jumped to her rescue and died in the process.

Clenching his entwined fingers, he told to himself that she wasn't going to die. She couldn't die because of something like that. Not when the medics were able to attend to her right away.

_Tegami…don't die. Please, don't die._

Kakashi sat back against the wall, blankly staring at the ceiling. He was wondering about Hisashi and his final words. Kakashi also couldn't understand why that man would throw himself at the kunai. What had been his relation to Tegami? Considering that he had killed her sensei, his actions had been mysterious to say the least.

Sighing, Kakashi lowered his head and focused on the double doors of the operation room. Just at that moment, Sakura came out, taking off her surgical mask. Kakashi stood up, anxious to hear the news.

"The surgery was a success. We have managed to stop the bleeding, now it's all up to Tegami-san to recover."

Kakashi looked away, stifling a sigh of relief. "Will she be all right?" he asked, confident that he had managed to conceal his joy.

Sakura smiled, "She will. The sword pierced her liver but we fortunately got to operate in time. Other than exsanguination, there's no real danger coming from a liver injury because the liver is able to regenerate itself really quickly. Like a lizard's tail."

"I see. Then I guess I shouldn't go out of my way to let Kitte know about this," Kakashi said in response.

Sakura nodded, "It wouldn't be recommendable, if he's away on a mission. Tegami-san will be fine soon so there's no point in making him worry about it. Instead, you should go rest, Kakashi-sensei." The girl smiled. "You don't have to worry about it, either. We'll take good care of Tegami-san so you'd better go sleep."

"Thank you for your advice," he replied but he didn't look like he was going to listen to it.

III.

A bird soaring the sky obstructed the sun for a little while. The peregrine falcon landed on Kitte's forearm, bringing brief reports from the other teams.

"The Southern team didn't find anything, either," Kitte announced his teammates after he sent the peregrine off, with information regarding their progress.

"It's like he completely vanished," a female voice spoke. "We would have found him even if he'd hidden underground but there's really no sight of him."

"The Western team found an empty hideout, as well as the South-Eastern," Kitte continued, "we have yet to reach our destination but I doubt we'll discover anything. I really have a bad feeling about this," he added, sighing.

"It's strange," a tiger masked ANBU commented. "Almost as if…" He locked gazes with his captain.

"You thought about it too?" Everyone tensed. "We haven't received any news from Konoha, though," Kitte said in an attempt to ease the mood. "They would have informed us if anything were to happen. We have a mission to accomplish in the meantime. Let's go."

But just as they were about to set off, another big bird came to land on Kitte's forearm. "Speaking of the devil…," the woman from before commented.

Kitte read the message that had come from the village. It informed them of Shuryou's surprise attack, Hisashi and Tegami's breaking out of prison as well as of the former's death and the latter's injury. It concluded with an order to keep investigating and searching for clues.

Kitte snorted, "No wonder no one could find him. That bastard wasn't even there in the first place."

"What are we to do now?" another man asked.

Kitte added a brief report about the progress of their mission before letting the eagle fly back home. "We'll continue with our task. It appears that the village is a mess right now but the best thing we can do is following the orders that were given to us. So let's go."

As the captain of his team, he was the one who took the first step but he was actually the most affected by the situation. He wanted very badly to just leave everyone behind and rush back to Konoha, to check on his sister. The only thing that kept him at bay was remembering his father's words.

Kitte thus focused on his duty because he had faith that Tegami would be cared for well.

IV.

Shuryou came to on his way to the interrogation chamber. He was dragged along the dark corridor by two shinobi, with Ibiki leading the way. They stopped upon realizing that their prisoner had awoken.

"You've finally regained your senses?" Ibiki turned around, grinning.

Shuryou struggled to stand properly, pulled up by the shinobi who were holding him. "Hn…to be taken to Konoha's top interrogator…I'm honored," he muttered, attempting a defiant smirk but failing miserably. "However…I won't let you have me!"

"Hold him!" Ibiki yelled but Shuryou bit off his tongue before any of his guards could do anything to stop him.

"Damn. Take him to the hospital, fast!" Ibiki then ordered.

The shinobi ran off with him but Shuryou soon dropped dead. He'd concealed a small poison-filled pill in the tip of his tongue. Smiling with melancholy, his last words were 'I'm sorry', as he realized that he had failed to keep the promise he had made to himself, that he had failed to accomplish his long-sought goal. For a second, he remembered…

V.

At the time of the Third Hokage's death, the whole village was mourning. But among all the sad people, there was an unusually happy one.

"Danzo-sama, you'll finally become the Hokage! Aren't you happy about that?"

"Don't be foolish, Hiraku," Danzo replied to his underling Root member, "besides, it's already been decided…Jiraiya has gone looking for the First's granddaughter."

"Senju Hashirama-sama's…The Slug Princess, Tsunade? But, Danzo-sama—"

"Enough! Mind your own business, Hiraku," Danzo replied and walked off.

But Hiraku couldn't mind his own business. His savior's, Danzo's business were also his own. Danzo had to become Hokage. Some way or another, he would see to it.

That night, Hiraku left the village. He went looking for Tsunade himself but he was too late. Jiraiya and his disciple, that Kyuubi kid, had found her first and brought her to Konoha.

That's when it finally began. Shuryou had existed for a long time before that, plotting against the Third, but the time had come at last to bring the plan to fruition.

Together with a criminal organization that he had once been ordered to wipe out but chose not to, former Root Hiraku decided to fulfill his master's wish, no matter what. At the same time, he knew that he'd also get rid of many criminals if he used them as fighting tools against Konoha's shinobi.

However, not everything went according to the plan. He soon became obsessed, losing sight of his well-meaning purpose and focusing instead on the malice building up within him. He had just one goal: assassinating the Slug Princess Tsunade. Although he denied having a personal reason for it, it was actually very personal.

He despised the woman who had taken his master's dream away. He loathed her and strongly believed that she didn't deserve to live. Not matter what, no matter how, he'd have to make sure she died. And after that, he would let himself be caught by the Root's members, thus proving how great of a man Danzo actually was.

Only if that had gone as smoothly as he had been imagining it…

VI.

Lurking in the darkness as he always was, Danzo waited patiently for his subordinate to show up.

"It was confirmed," a voice was heard first before a masked figure emerged from the shadows. "The man who planned the assassination plot, the so-called 'Shuryou'…It was Hiraku."

"I see." Danzo glanced maliciously at the Root member. "I was hoping he was long dead. But I believe you have failed your mission."

His reply was met with silence. "He has been lying low for the past year. According to our investigation, he has been acting as the leader of the criminal organization he was ordered to exterminate five years ago."

"So he didn't accomplish his mission? I'm surprised he managed to hide it from me."

The masked man continued, "He instructed the criminals carefully. He was planning to assassinate the Third Hokage but he died before he had a chance. That's when he defected. He switched his focus to the Fifth."

Danzo frowned. "Did you make a report?"

The Root member nodded, "Here it is. I have made sure it has no connection to you or Root."

"Good." Danzo checked the file that was given to him and headed for the meeting between the Hokage and the Council.

When he arrived right outside Tsunade's office, he happened to overhear their heated conversation.

"So you say you couldn't get anything out of him?" Koharu asked.

"No, nothing at all. He killed himself before he could be interrogated," Tsunade promptly replied.

"That's very bad. You say you don't have any idea who he was? Maybe you should hand Miyamoto Tegami over to—"

"Tegami has nothing to do with this," Tsunade cut the elder lady off, "I heard from Shizune that she risked her life helping Kakashi and I heard Shuryou myself that he had ordered Hisashi to kill Tegami."

"Why would she say all those things, then?" Koharu retorted. "Why would she lie?"

"I don't know anything about that, yet. She had to undergo immediate surgery and she's still unconscious. I'll talk to her tomorrow."

"I don't think you should postpone it for so long. You should go ask her about it today, as soon as she wakes up," the old lady insisted.

An angry Tsunade slammed her fist on her desk. "Tegami is a patient right now. A precious Konoha shinobi who risked her life for the sake of her comrade. She deserves to at least have some rest after having her liver operated on."

To avoid further conflict, Danzo finally knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Tsunade yelled.

Danzo opened the door slowly and stepped in. "I'm sorry to interrupt but there's something you might be interested in."

Tsunade frowned while the two councilors watched him curiously. "What is it, Danzo?" Koharu was the first to ask.

Danzo handed the file to her. Koharu skimmed it quickly then passed it to Tsunade. "Here. He was more useful than you managed to with the criminal in your hands."

Tsunade snatched the file, annoyed. She read it carefully, astonished by how detailed the information inside it was. She stared in awe at Danzo. "Where…where did you get this?"

"My men came across him while they were secretly investigating an assassination plot against the Third Hokage. That's all the data they managed to gather. We lost track of him at some point, after Hiruzen's death, but I didn't think he'd resurface."

Tsunade was biting her lip, focused on the document. "That's enough. You can all leave. We'll have another meeting after I talk things out with Tegami."

She went behind her desk and sat down, switching to biting her thumb. The three elders quietly withdrew, leaving the Hokage alone with her suspicions. "Damn you, Danzo," she mumbled, "I didn't think you'd go this far…"

Kakashi showed up a while later. He had his arm bandaged but no other grave injuries besides that.

"Check this out," Tsunade told him, throwing the file on her desk.

Kakashi picked it up. "Hiraku…a missing nin presumed dead. Since when?"

Tsunade snorted, "I was wondering the same thing."

"Who do you have this from?"

"Shimura Danzo," she answered while looking out the window.

"That Danzo?" Silence. "Are you having doubts about the veracity of this report?"

"Isn't it obvious? It's too fishy. Why bring this out at such a time? He could have let us know about this earlier." Sighing, she continued, "How's Tegami?"

Kakashi looked up startled. "She's fine. Sakura said the surgery was a success."

"I received word from Kitte," Tsunade blankly said, "after I told them to keep investigating. He said they didn't find anything of interest but that they'll keep looking. I could have called them home but now I'm glad I didn't."

Kakashi put the file down. "I agree. Shuryou's death and Danzo's report won't magically solve this mystery. We were attacked by some of our own and Hisashi was let out of prison by his infiltrated accomplices."

"I'm hoping Tegami will be able to tell us more…Neji did see Shuryou kissing her…but he never heard what they were talking about."

Kakashi frowned. He had wondered about that before but once Tegami had confessed, all his doubts had disappeared. However, now after he found out that Hisashi had attempted to kill her and after he saw her jump in front of the blade that was pointed at him, Kakashi began to have suspicions again.

What had Tegami actually done? What did she know? Did her cryptic line about how everything happened for a reason have anything to do with the conversation she had had with Shuryou?

There was just one way to find out but he, and everyone else for that matter, would have to wait until Tegami recovered her health completely and could speak out about everything.

Kakashi was somehow unexpectedly happy about it. He never liked her involvement with Shuryou in the first place and was almost thrilled to have her innocence confirmed, although he wished it had happened under different circumstances.

"You should go rest, Kakashi," Tsunade advised him. "Tegami will be safe at the hospital so there's nothing to worry about."

Kakashi almost smiled, remembering that Sakura had told him something similar. "I understand," he responded with reluctance. "I'll see you tomorrow." He bowed and left Tsunade's office.

He went home, just because he had nowhere else to go, and eventually fell asleep against his wishes.


	13. A Big Relief

I.

Following Shuryou's death, there wasn't anyone else that the KTIF could take information out of. Miyamoto Ryuunosuke was brought once again before Morino Ibiki, the master interrogator, to clarify the deal with the suspicious letter that had misleadingly thrown the blame on Tegami.

The man was anxiously glancing right and left as his whole body shook with fear. The instant he opened the door, Ibiki could tell that his client was beyond frightened.

"Well, hello there, Miyamoto-san. We meet again." The interrogator grinned. To Ryuunosuke, it was the most terrifying grin in the world. Especially now that Shuryou was dead.

"I—I'll tell you everything!" Ryuunosuke suddenly shot up from his chair, cold sweat dripping down his jaw.

Ibiki seemed amused. "Please do so."

Ryuunosuke sat back down, his face drained of any vitality. "I…I don't know with what I should begin…"

"Well, let's see," Ibiki mused, "what about that letter? Did you or did you not put it in the envelope?"

Ryuunosuke gulped, "I didn't. I didn't even know about my wife's letter. I do know that she writes to her children regularly but I don't really care about it."

Ibiki nodded, "So far, so good. Then how did it get there?"

The frightened man shook his head, keeping it down. "I don't know. But that white-haired guy I told you about…he came to me…and told me that if anyone asked, I should say that I put the letter in there myself. That I was told to do so."

Ibiki pursed his lips thoughtfully, drumming his fingers on the table. "Was that the only lie you told us?"

Ryuunosuke nodded ever so slowly. "Yeah. Everything…everything else besides that is true."

They sat in silence for a few moments. "All right, Miyamoto-san," Ibiki said at last, "you're free to go. But don't expect there won't be any repercussions. Your false statements have caused a lot of pain to your family and we don't readily tolerate lies. Do you understand?"

"I…," he swallowed his tears, "I understand."

"Good. Take him out." Ibiki left the interrogation room and went straight to the Hokage's office. He couldn't wait to report to her about it.

With his hands in the pockets of his coat, Morino Ibiki was victoriously smiling.

II.

It was two days after Shuryou's surprise attack when Tegami was finally able to speak up. She had woken up the day before but after being told that she should rest some more, she hadn't been allowed to do any kind of strenuous activity.

A day later, even though she wasn't fully recovered, she had built up enough stamina and determination to finally let everything out. Besides, her brother had also just returned from his mission and she had really wanted him to be there to listen to her.

"Lady Tsunade said she'd pay you a visit later," one of the nurses informed her, "for now, your family is here."

Tegami sat up, smiling, and the nurse fixed her pillow. "Who has come?"

"I'll tell them they can come in," the nurse said and left. A few seconds later, a knock on the door was heard before her parents came in.

Much to their daughter's surprise, it was just the two of them. "Mother? Father? Is it just the two of you?"

Yuuma grinned as Yoshie sat on the bed, taking her daughter's hand. "Yeah, for now," the man replied, "we're taking turns to avoid wearing you out."

Tegami blinked confused, looking from her father to her mother and back again. "That is…unexpected."

Yoshie caressed her daughter's face with such affection that it moved Yuuma to tears, almost. But he told himself that he couldn't cry. Not in front of those two women.

"How do you feel, Tegami?" Yoshie asked softly.

The younger woman smiled, "I'm well, mother. There is absolutely no need to worry."

Yoshie tenderly kissed Tegami's forehead. "I'm glad. I'm really so glad." Her bright green eyes were filled up to the brim with tears. The poor woman had been put through so much for the past two weeks that she just couldn't hold it in anymore.

She hugged Tegami and cried at her chest, hating her weakness but unable to stop. Tegami gingerly ran her fingers through her mother's hair, without saying a word. There was nothing that could comfort Yoshie more than being able to hold her daughter in her arms once again.

"I'm really so glad," the woman repeated, slightly tightening her grip on Tegami's torso.

Even though they were curved into a crooked grin, Yuuma's lips were quivering. He also sat on Tegami's bed and leaned his forehead against hers. "I knew it all along. That's my girl." Her ruffled her hair with one of his hands and put his other arm around Yoshie's shoulders.

It was the first time Tegami had ever experienced such a thing. At that moment, she was thinking that the only one missing from the picture was Kitte and she really wished that he had been there.

Which was why she broke the comfortable silence by asking, "Has Kitte returned yet?"

Yuuma smiled, "Yup, he just came back. But he had to report to Lady Tsunade first. And after that he went to change his clothes because he said he wanted to look presentable."

Tegami let out a snort, "That guy, really…Presentable for what?" She tried to look annoyed but ended up chuckling. "I hope he gets here soon."

But both her younger siblings and her grandparents had come and gone without any mention of Kitte. He was in fact anxiously waiting outside, inquiring after his sister's health and disposition.

He was nervous, and worried. He'd disappointed her a while ago and was afraid to talk to her, considering how the situation had developed. At long last mustering up his courage, he burst in, falling on his knees as soon as got near her bed.

"I'm sorry, Tegami!" he desperately cried, "I'm sorry! Even if I apologize a thousand times, I don't expect you to forgive me but I want you to know that—"

He halted in the middle of his sentence because of the sudden warmth in his cheeks. Looking up, he saw his sister above him, and reaching to his cheeks, he felt her fingers caress him.

"Tegami…"

Coming across her tender gaze, he hugged her waist and buried his face in her stomach but she gently pushed him away, wincing because of the pain. "I'm sorry," he mumbled, withdrawing to his former position.

Tegami watched his remorseful mien with fondness. "Don't worry. I didn't know it back then but now your behavior is understandable. You must have been aware of the ANBU keeping an eye on me. Rejecting me like that was the right thing to do."

"I felt terrible then," Kitte murmured. "Everyone had turned their backs on you and I was being just as selfish…I really—"

But his sincere confession of guilt was harshly interrupted by the Hokage's dramatic entrance. "Tegami!" she thundered, "We're all here to hear the truth." She stomped towards the patient and stopped with her hands on her hips. The two members of the Konoha Council along with Shizune, Kakashi, Ibiki and Anko were backing her up.

Tegami bowed as much as her condition allowed her to and scanned the faces of the crowd. She was particularly interested in Kakashi's expression and was happy to see that other than his usual impassivity, there was also this air of silent, concealed satisfaction about him.

"And what would you like to hear, Lady Tsunade?" Tegami leaned comfortably against her pillow to prepare for a long speech.

Tsunade frowned, "All of it. I'm especially curious about what passed between you and Shuryou at that hideout."

Tegami's eyes darkened upon reminiscing of that day. "Very well. I shall tell you." She let out a heavy breath and looked out the window, at the sky and the drifting clouds.

III.

"Oh my, oh my…" One of the bandits licked his lips as he headed towards the trapped Tegami. "I would've never expected this, not even in my sweetest dreams." He cut down the net and his fellows quickly took hold of the kunoichi.

"What a fine blade you have," one of them said, taking Tegami's sword out of its sheath. She was then relieved of the rest of her possessions and carefully restrained.

Tegami was then lead inside, through a bunch of wild, cheering men. She soon laid eyes on a smirking Shuryou and shook her head once he grabbed her chin. However, his other hand shot up to her hair and his grip on her jaw was tight enough to make her look him in the eye.

"I don't want to be disturbed," he muttered to the guy closest to him and dragged Tegami to his office. He even locked the door and cut the ropes on Tegami's hands, smiling. "Welcome!" he then cried with arms wide open.

Tegami frowned. "This isn't a courtesy visit, you know."

Shuryou began sauntering about her. "It might not be but I am delighted to have you here. It works perfectly with my plan."

"What plan?"

"That of killing your beloved Hokage, of course."

Tegami gave no response.

"I am very glad to have you here, my dear," Shuryou continued, "because you are a wonderful addition to my already great plan." He stopped behind Tegami and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. She shook him off but he took hold of her wrists and pushed her against the wall. "You will help me, won't you? _Darling._"

"I never would!" she angrily replied.

"Not even if I tell you that your oh-so-beautiful family is in danger?" he retorted with menacing slyness.

"What?" Tegami hissed.

"Your mother and your younger siblings…The others might be strong but those three are quite vulnerable. Not to mention my dear friend Ryuunosuke. He's in prison right now and I just so happen to know someone there as well…"

Tegami slumped at the base of the wall, remembering about Hisashi and the helpless members of her family that were still in the village. Shuryou lifted her up in his arms, despite her resisting, and she ended up falling on the floor. He then pulled her up on his desk, standing in-between her legs. His face was closing in on hers, causing Tegami to grimace.

"If you take one wrong step, if you say anything other than what they're expecting to hear…You will have a chance to meet your family in the afterlife," he whispered.

"Don't screw—"

Shuryou cut her off by grabbing her cheeks and forcing a kiss on her. She tried to push him away but in vain. He circled her torso with his arms, holding her firmly in place. Shortly after that, the ceiling suddenly shook and fell. Kakashi, Sakura and Neji came down through the hole, much to Tegami's astonishment.

It was hard for Tegami to bear seeing Kakashi's incredulous and shocked expression, with a hint of disgust. Shuryou took advantage of the momentary lapse in the ninjas' judgment and ran away. Tegami was way too stunned to even think of making a move to stop him. Neji, instead, set on the chase immediately.

"Where do you think you're going, you bastard!" Sakura thundered as she followed suit.

Tegami was shivering under Kakashi's disappointed stare. Her fists were tightly clenched, her knuckles white, and there was a thin trail of blood dripping down her chin because of her biting down on her lip.

"Why didn't you stop him?" Kakashi's composed voice caused her to look up from her feet for a split second but it was enough for her remorse to increase tenfold.

She didn't respond. Tears formed in her eyes and quietly slid down her cheeks.

"Why didn't you stop him?" he repeated loudly, "_Why?_"

She didn't know how to reply. She had nothing to tell him. Whatever she might have said at that moment would have sounded as an excuse, which she was sure it wouldn't satisfy him.

Stomping towards her, he twisted her wrist, making her look at him. She was crying, because of the pain, because of the disgrace, because of the guilt. She couldn't discern the sadness in his eye.

She then felt a strange pressure on her nape and blacked out.

IV.

Kakashi's feelings were more and more confused as her story progressed. On one hand, he felt relieved that she was innocent, but on the other, he felt bad for having even slightly doubted her. And not to mention hurting her.

"I figured he might have threatened you somehow," Tsunade said once Tegami finished speaking, "but you should've let us know about it."

Tegami averted her eyes. "For a while after that incident I couldn't think clearly. And I was later secretly informed by one of Shuryou's disguised men that he had many accomplices in the village. If anything I would have said to you had leaked to him, my family would have been in trouble." She gulped. "I didn't dare to take the risk."

Tsunade sighed. "Well, that's understandable."

"I apologize, Lady Tsunade. I know I shouldn't have but I have put my personal feelings above my duty towards the village." Tegami gravely bowed her head. "I will, therefore, forfeit my position as a shinobi."

Everyone in the room stared agape at her. "You don't have to do that, you stupid!" Anko yelled, outraged. "You just—"

"Anko-san," Tegami interrupted. "I have done a mistake. Through my senseless actions, I have caused harm to the village. My duty as a shinobi was to protect it and yet I have failed it. I feel that I have no right to be a shinobi anymore."

"Do you really feel that way?" Tsunade asked, frowning.

Tegami nodded. "You might say that I am choosing the easy way out but I don't have the confidence that I won't repeat the same mistake later on."

"Well, that's just stupid," Kitte intervened at last after having kept silent the whole time. "Everybody makes mistakes at some point in time. It's human nature. We just have to get over it and move on, and improve."

"I appreciate your thoughtfulness," Tegami responded with a smile, "but…I also have my own, personal reasons for this. So please, Lady Tsunade," she turned to the Hokage, "allow my early retirement."

"If that's what you think is best, then I'll think about it. But keep in mind that I won't let you off the hook so easily!"

"I wasn't even wishing for it."

"You stupid woman," Anko muttered one last time before going out.

Tsunade also spun on her heels and left with a snort, followed by Shizune and Ibiki, as well as the two elders.

"I think it would be best if you dismiss her completely," Koharu said to Tsunade, "she did indeed place her personal safety above that of the village, thus she does no longer deserve your trust, or the villagers', as a shinobi."

"Her personal safety?" Tsunade sneered, "She was tortured and thrown into prison—"at this Ibiki slightly cringed—"and almost got killed a couple of days ago! For the sake of her _personal safety_? I highly doubt it. Come, Shizune."

With that, she hurried to the HokageMansion, forgetting all about the troublesome elders.

V.

"Well, I'll go share the news with the rest of the family," Kitte announced, "and I hope we'll also get to hear your personal reasons soon." He left after exchanging a meaningful glance with his twin sister and saluting his senpai.

"You must have been rather startled," she said once she and Kakashi were alone.

"That would be underestimating it."

Tegami smiled. "I've put you through a lot. I apologize."

Kakashi raised a brow. "That should be my line."

She shook her head, "No, Kakashi-san. You have nothing to apologize for. I have caused you such harm that cannot be forgiven. And I assure you it's not going to happen again."

He eyed her curiously, "Does that have anything to do with your quitting?"

She took her time answering. "I still remember, Kakashi-san, how I asked you to believe in me, _no matter what_. It was a selfish thing to ask of you but you consented to it nonetheless." She made a pause, gulping. "More than anything, I have failed _you_, Kakashi-san. The look on your face when—"

She halted with a gasp, seemingly attempting to abstain from crying. "It was horrible—I felt horrible. But then I got to think about it. While in prison, I realized that my job had always been like that. Tricking and deceiving people. And the first step to successfully fooling your enemies is fooling your own friends."

She wiped her cheeks, avoiding Kakashi's eye. "My friends aren't that many but I know that they believe in me and I'd hate having to betray their faith. Who knows how many times such a thing like this one would happen again if I didn't put an end to it now?"

"Tegami…," Kakashi whispered but she couldn't hear him.

"Seeing your hurt mien pained me more than Ibiki's tortures. Kitte's suspicions made my heart ache more than that man's forceful attentions."

"I understand," Kakashi said at last, "I understand so stop dwelling on it."

He sat on her bed and pulled her in a tender embrace. She wrapped her arms around him, clinging on to the back of his vest. At that moment she shed tears of relief, regret and happiness and no longer distanced herself from him because of the awkwardness. There was no more awkwardness.

Kakashi caressed her hair and patted her back, resting his chin atop her head. "I was so worried, Tegami, so worried…," he murmured, holding her close. "But now I'm so relieved."

She looked up at him with a remorseful countenance. "If only I could ever make it up to you, Kakashi-san."

He fixed her big, brown orbs staring up at him as if they were urging him to make a wish which she could fulfill. "Well, there might be a way…"

His fingertips reaching to the edge of his mask, he cautiously pulled it down and pressed his lips against hers. Her wide, astounded eyes only relaxed when he cupped her cheek and put his hand on the small of her back, sending shivers up her spine.

When he broke apart, Tegami didn't dare to take her eyes off her hands, placed gently on his chest. "Are you sure that's all right, Kakashi-san?" she mumbled shyly. His kiss had reminded her of Shuryou's. "These dirty lips of mine…" Her fingers clenched on his vest.

"Then I guess we'll just have to cleanse them." He craned his neck, nibbling on her upper lip and subsequently biting softly on her lower one.

It was the first time in years Tegami could indulge herself in a kiss and actually respond to it willingly. Her hands had already gone up Kakashi's nape to his hair. His hands were all over her back and occasionally her arms.

There was a pang in her side as she straightened up to gain more access to Kakashi's mouth but she ignored it. He noticed her slight wince, though, and removed himself from her, insisting that she should rest some more.

"I'll come again tomorrow," he said as he walked to the door, hands in pockets as per usual.

"I'll be waiting," she replied, her eyes sparkling brightly like never before.

There was also a glint in Kakashi's eye as he slid the door open, but it vanished soon, as well as that hint of a grin concealed by his mask.


	14. A Happy End, Epilogue

I.

"Onee-chan!" Seiichi called, "Here's some leftover cake."

"Oh, thank you, Seiichi." Tegami took the paper box from her brother. "But I think there's a little too much left tonight."

Seiichi dismissed his sister's concerns with a wave of his hand. "We just had a customer or two less than yesterday. Nothing to worry about. Besides, we couldn't let the milk spoil so we made a bit more cake."

"I see…well, I'll go change." She took off her apron and went to the locker room.

There she changed her white kimono with a cream sleeveless dress that reached just below her knees, split on either side of her legs and patterned with orange cherry blossoms. She wore a pair of short, light brown leggings underneath and a brown haori to match. After letting her hair loose, she put her sunglasses atop her head and stepped into her geta sandals.

"You've worked hard!" she yelled over her shoulder at her brother and his wife who had stayed behind to close up the teahouse.

"You too! Take care, onee-chan!" Seiichi replied just as Tegami was sliding the door open.

She responded with a smile and left, carrying her cake box in one of her hands. She gazed at the setting sun, taking in as much as she could of the warm, orange light. On her way to Kakashi's apartment, she dropped by the grocery store to buy some miso paste and eggplant. He had told her that he would probably be late for dinner so she decided to prepare his favorite food for when he came back.

She'd also heard that Naruto had just returned which was most likely the reason for Kakashi's delay. Tegami was wondering whether Kakashi would go have a meal with his former pupil but then she figured that, as his sensei, he would be made to pay for it. Laughing to herself, Tegami thought that there'd be no way Kakashi would treat Naruto to dinner so she safely assumed that he'd be hungry.

By the time Kakashi finally arrived home, his bowl of soup had gone cold and Tegami had fallen asleep at his desk. He smiled at her sleeping figure, staring at her for a few minutes while he wondered whether or not to wake her up.

She saved him the trouble, for she opened her eyes before he could make up his mind. "Good morning," he teasingly greeted.

She sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "Is it morning already?" she muttered, yawning.

Kakashi raised a brow. "Not yet. Have you lost your shinobi sense so quickly?" He took off his vest and sat down on his bed.

Tegami chuckled. "No, I haven't. I just wanted to see whether you had the heart to disturb my slumber or not."

"Really?" He lay down, putting one hand under his head and taking out his _Icha Icha Tactics_ book with the other.

"Yes. And I tend to believe you were inclining to do the former." She sat down next to him and snatched his book. He propped himself up on his elbows. "Icha Icha Tactics? Is this new?"

"Naruto gave it to me," he explained, "and I have paperwork to do. I needed that desk."

Tegami was listening to him as she skimmed through the book. "If you have paperwork to do, why are you reading this book? Go get your job done, I'll take care of this." She grinned, dragging him out of bed by his foot.

"You still have some strength left in your arms," he commented as they came face to face.

"I beat up thugs at the teahouse almost every day." She playfully pecked his lips through his mask.

"I thought you worked there as a pastry chef, not a guard." His arm snuck around her waist before she got to run away and he pulled her down on his lap. He then lowered his mask and kissed her.

Tegami gasped in the kiss as he fell back on the bed without a warning. She supported herself on her palms while his hands held her hips. The _Icha Icha _book had fallen on the floor.

"This thing is annoying," he muttered, tugging at the loose sleeve of her haori.

Tegami laughed and sat up, straddling his waist. Kakashi sat up as well and aided her in removing the haori, pushing it down her bare shoulders, along with the braces of her dress, and afterwards planted a kiss right above her collar bone. His left hand went around her head to pull the hair out of the way of his mouth as he kissed up her neck to her jaw and earlobe.

"What about your paperwork?" Her whisper was tantalizing.

"Later." He quickly resumed his attentions, biting down on her collarbones as he moved over to her other shoulder.

Before he managed to lower her dress too much, Tegami put some distance between themselves to remind him of his paperwork. "Lady Tsunade will scold _me_ later," she explained.

He looked at her with pleading eyes but his face was void of any enthusiasm. "I might be going on a mission tomorrow, with my new teammates." Tegami's brows rose in surprise. "Naruto and Sakura."

"So those kids are strong enough to be your teammates now, not your pupils?"

He smiled. "They came up with a very clever strategy to steal the bells from me."

"The bell test again?"

"Sakura's punch almost killed me. They're not on that level anymore." He sighed with melancholy.

"They weren't going to stay kids forever, Kakashi." She brought him back to his senses by grabbing his hair and kissing him again. "Don't use me as an excuse tomorrow if you're late," she mumbled, nibbling on his earlobe.

"I won't."

II.

Tegami rolled on her belly as the sun was rising. She stretched out her arms then looked at man sleeping next to her. "Kakashi," she called in a whisper.

"Hm?" His response came without him opening his eyes.

Tegami chuckled. "Your paperwork," she whispered again.

"Hm…," Kakashi whined.

"Don't make me knock you out of bed."

His hand went over her waist, grabbing her hip. "If I fall, I'll take you down with me." He propped himself up on one elbow and smiled at her, then proceeded to admire her back. "Is that a scar?" he asked, noticing a bird shaped mark under her left shoulder blade. It looked like the outline of a flying sparrow. He grazed his fingers across that spot and even gave it a soft kiss.

"Oh, that? No. I've always had it. A strange birthmark, don't you think?" She crossed her arms under her chin as she was looking at the two framed photographs adorning the headboard of Kakashi's bed.

"Aren't birds a symbol of your clan? I don't think it's strange." He looked at her to see her reaction but found that she was focused on something else. Following her gaze to his photographs, he picked up one of them and stared at it in silence for a while.

"Kakashi?" Tegami got up, her brows furrowed with worry.

"Hm?" He snapped out of his reverie and put the picture of him and his former students back down.

"Your paperwork," she teasingly reminded him, in an attempt to distract his attention.

"Right." He smiled and scratched the back of his head.

"I'll go make breakfast. Do you have any preferences?"

"Not at all," he mumbled as he was dressing up.

Tegami pouted. "Fine, then you'll have to eat some cake this morning."

He shot her a warning look. "You know I'm not a big fan of sweet stuff."

She put out her tongue at him. "That's too bad, because I am."

"I do know that, I assure you." He let out a heavy breath and sat at his desk.

Ten minutes later, Tegami plopped a plastic cup of ramen down on Kakashi's desk, dangerously close to his papers. "I only have cup ramen for you, Mr. Not-a-big-fan-of-sweet-stuff." She took a seat on his bed, looking at him while she munched on some sweet rice porridge she'd made the other day.

"That's good enough."

Following that short reply, they were both silent until Tegami mustered up the courage to let out something she'd been thinking about for a while. "Hey, Kakashi…"

"Hm?"

"Why don't we get married?"

He momentarily looked up from his papers before turning around in his chair. "What?"

She pursed her lips. "I know it's extremely sudden but I've been pondering over it for the past few weeks…"

"Did something happen?" he inquired, with a suggestive glance.

Tegami blushed slightly and averted her eyes. "No! I mean, no…I don't really think—no." She gulped. "It's just that…my grandmother has been asking me about it…or rather, reproaching me for it."

She took another mouthful of her rice, "My grandfather…hasn't been too happy, either, about me spending a lot of nights over here. Kitte has been trying to take my side but it always ends up in a fight."

They were silent again until Kakashi replied with, "I see…Well, I can't say I don't understand your grandparents. And I'm sorry your family members are fighting because of me."

"Oh, no, no, no!" She waved her hands quickly. "It's not because of you. It's because of me." She looked down at her feet.

"But that makes me involved as well, don't you think?"

She peeped at him through her eyelashes. "True…"

"I understand your grandparents' concern. And it's really too bad we can't talk more about it right now but I'll think about it."

He stood up. Tegami did too. "You shouldn't let your teammates wait too long. Also, don't let this bother you during your mission, all right? I'd hate myself if—"

Kakashi shut her up with a kiss. "Who do you think you're talking to?"

She laughed, leaning her forehead on his chest. "Just don't get yourself killed, okay?"

He rested his chin atop her head and caressed her hair. "I won't. I promise."

III.

Right outside the village gates, Kakashi and his teammates were about to set off. Tegami watched them from a distance. Even though Sakura had her suspicions about her sensei's relationship with the former kunoichi, Tegami didn't dare to show herself in front of the kids, especially Naruto. He probably didn't even know her well and he would have made a fuss if he had seen his sensei with a woman.

Therefore, Tegami had to settle with watching her lover from a distance, smiling warmly and mentally praying for his well-being. Kakashi sensed her presence and secretly glanced her way. She met his eye and held up her thumb.

Not only Tsunade but also Iruka was seeing the three off. Jiraiya showed up too, whispering something in Tsunade's ear, then talking to Naruto and lastly saying something to Kakashi.

Tegami left right after Kakashi and his former students set off. She went to her brother's teahouse and did her work as per usual. While Kakashi was away, she stayed at home, with her family.

She never regretted having quit her job as a shinobi. She had more time for Kakashi and even if he was often sent away on lengthy missions, she could always be there to welcome and look after him, considering that sometimes he would have to spend more than a few days in the hospital.

Such was the case with this latest mission of his. Because of making extensive use of his Sharingan, he ended up almost paralyzed for at least a week. Tegami was the first one to visit him and brought along a bowl of his favorite soup.

"Here again, huh?" she teased him, taking a seat near his bed.

"I was thinking the same thing," he sighed.

"I brought you something to eat."

"Thanks."

After carefully helping him eat, Tegami sat in contemplative silence for a while, brushing the hair away from Kakashi's forehead.

"Tegami," he called her name, fixing her eyes so deeply that she almost got worried.

"What is it?"

"I wish I could take your hand," he mumbled to himself, looking down with frustration at his fingers that barely twitched. Smiling, Tegami reached out for them and entwined her fingers with his.

Kakashi smiled too. "I had enough time to think about your proposal this past week."

"In-between fighting Akatsuki and overexerting yourself?"

He stared up at her. "Since when did you get so cheeky?"

She put out her tongue. "A while ago. So you said you were thinking. What did you come up with?"

Kakashi locked gazes with the woman watching so tenderly over him. "Let's get married," he said bluntly.

Tegami blinked, apparently confused but secretly happy. "Really?"

He nodded. "I thought of you at a very critical moment and I told to myself that I couldn't die there. Not so far away from you."

She bit her lip to stop herself from crying.

"Let's get married. Before it's too late, let's just get married."

Tegami was meaning to hug him but she just collapsed over him.

"Tegami…"

"I'm happy. I'm just really happy. There was once a time when I thought I'd never get to marry or even get to love a man but…I'm so happy…" So happy that she could barely find words to express it.

Kakashi smiled and kissed her head. "I'm happy, too." Although other than a glint in his right eye, there was not even a hint that could prove his claim.

~The End~

* * *

_It's finally the end. I still can't believe I managed to write this story in just a little over 2 months. But I did. And I'm happy. Very happy. _

_Also, I want to thank you guys for putting up with me this whole time, for reading, reviewing, subscribing and favoriting. I really appreciate it. _

_And please don't hesitate to keep giving feedback :) Especially now, at the end, I'm really curious how you guys liked my story and my characters so I'm waiting for your reviews! XD_

_Thank you all!_

_Maria Krause_


	15. After-Story: A Merry Christmas

_Well, this is my Christmas present for you, guys! As a thanks for all your support, I've written a short after-story. I hope you enjoy!_

* * *

I.

There was no telling who would win the staring contest. Tsunade's glare was unbelievably strong but Kakashi's bored eye was holding it bravely. At long last the Hokage snapped out of it, slamming her fist on her desk. Kakashi was still standing imperturbably with his hands in his pockets.

"You're going, and that's final," Tsunade fiercely stated.

"But it's Christmas," Kakashi attempted to protest, "I want to—"

"I don't care!" he was cut off. "I'm already too short of people as it is. You're not even married, Kakashi—"

"…not yet…"

"—and there are some people who even have kids. Besides, I really need you on this mission."

And that's how Kakashi's romantic Christmas plans went directly down the drain.

"I understand," he said with a look of defeat in his eye. He respectfully bowed and left, planning to stop by Tegami's workplace to break the sad news to her.

II.

Seiichi's teahouse was unusually crowded. The weather had got cold, so a lot of people were seeking solace in a hot cup of tea. Moreover, there were a lot of orders placed for Christmas cakes and as a result, Tegami was practically bound to the kitchen.

Kakashi was surprised to find the teahouse filled to the brim. Moreover, he felt caught off guard upon spotting his former students and their friends, who, unfortunately, also spotted him.

"Ah, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto yelled loud enough to get everyone's attention. Sakura smiled apologetically, able to guess why her sensei was there and feeling sorry that Naruto had disturbed him.

Kakashi had no choice but to make his way towards their table and take the seat he was offered.

"What are you doing here, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked, his mouth full. Out of all his friends, he was the only one that still didn't know about Kakashi's relationship. And his ignorance earned him a smack upside the head from his former teammate.

"Stupid, Naruto! It's Kakashi-sensei's business. You shouldn't try to pry."

Kakashi sighed helplessly. It didn't feel right to hide from Naruto but at the same time, he valued his peace and privacy. If Naruto found out, he would definitely make fun of his sensei.

They had unconsciously fallen into some sort of awkward silence. Naruto was rubbing the back of his head, not daring to whine about how much it hurt, while everyone else was either drinking their tea or eating their cake.

Kakashi took this as his cue to leave, although he had just arrived, and stood up just as a piercing scream reduced all the noisy chatter to silence.

There was no need for anyone to intervene, however. An enraged Tegami dangerously emerged from the kitchen, approaching the source of trouble with quick steps.

"What is going on here?" she inquired, wiping her sweaty forehead with a white napkin.

A shinobi had drawn out his sword at Aya-chan, claiming that she was trying to cheat him out of his money.

Kakashi couldn't take his eye off his lover, having noticed the heavy tint of exhaustion in her voice and her worn-out expression. She was in no mood to deal with troublemakers and he feared that she would make things worse.

"Listen," she began, her voice more threatening than she had intended, "I'll make the calculations again. If Aya-chan was wrong, then the fault is on us but it still does not give you the right to make a violent scene in here."

Tegami breathed in and out to get herself together. "If, however, _you_ were in the wrong, I will have to ask you to pay the money and get out. And never come back in again."

"What the hell?! Are you in your right mind, woman? Kicking out your customers like that?"

The shinobi made a move to attack her. Kakashi almost lunged forward but Tegami manage to subdue her enemy on her own.

"Hey, mister!" Naruto called, having watched the whole thing from afar.

Tegami recognized the voice and turned her head around. She smiled imperceptibly upon making eye-contact with Kakashi.

Naruto stomped towards her, frowning. "Hey, mister, why are you being like this? Christmas is right around the corner, do you really have to be so mean?"

The shinobi was speechless all of a sudden. But not because of Naruto. Kakashi's shadow was looming over him, giving off a terrifying feeling.

"Fine!" He scrambled to his feet out of Tegami's deadly lock and slammed the money on the table. "Like hell am I gonna come here again! Not even if you pay me!" And with that he stormed out of the teahouse, leaving behind a crying Aya-chan and a sighing Tegami.

"Are you okay?" Kakashi asked, exchanging a deeply meaningful glance with her.

She smiled. She wanted to tell him that she was much better now that he was there but she couldn't. Instead, she shyly thanked him and returned to the kitchen, eager to finish up her work and go home—to Kakashi.

III.

Tegami struggled to keep her eyes open and unlock the door but her hands were trembling so much that she could barely hold the key. With a sigh of frustration, she leaned against the door, almost falling asleep.

Having heard some noise outside, Kakashi had gone to the door and opened it, finding himself with a passed out Tegami in his arms.

She looked at him through her eyelashes, muttering something along the lines of 'is that you, Kakashi' and let herself be carried to his bed.

"Well, it looks like baking cakes is more difficult than talking people out of war, isn't it?" he said to himself as he was taking off her boots.

Tegami sat up, attempting to rub the sleep out of her face but she didn't succeed. "Can you please get me a cup of water?" She finished her request with a yawn and shook her head to stay awake a few more minutes.

The cold water felt like heavenly refreshment after a long day spent in the depths of hell. "Thank you," she murmured, handing the empty cup to Kakashi while wiping her mouth with the back of her fist. "I need to take a bath."

She got to her feet, wobbling towards the bathroom, and would have tripped over, had it not been for Kakashi's prompt reaction.

"What do you think you're doing in this state?" he gently scolded her. "Go sleep."

Tegami protested. "No. I feel—I am miserable. I sweated all day and I'm covered in floor and—" She was interrupted by another yawn, quite to her lover's amusement.

"You're going to drown if you if you go into the tub like that. Go sleep," Kakashi insisted, "you can wash later, after you've rested."

Although dazed, Tegami managed to put on a sly smile, obviously getting naughty ideas as she was listening to Kakashi.

"Why don't you help me, then?" she cheekily suggested.

Kakashi blinked, startled. "Help…you?"

"To keep me awake." Craning her neck, she pecked his lips, making her intentions clear to him.

"You're really…" He almost laughed. "All right, I'll help you." He lifted her up in his arms and pushed the bathroom door open with his hip. "You're no different from a baby right now. A big, helpless baby."

"Beings bathed by its daddy," Tegami added.

Kakashi ignored her comment and helped her out of her clothes. Tegami hadn't joked about the floor. He couldn't help coughing because of the white powder scattered in the air as he dumped Tegami's dirty kimono in the laundry basket.

Tegami sank in the hot water, feeling her heavy muscles relax. Seeing her close her eyes, Kakashi slid his hand across her back, making her gasp. His touch was tender, her body stiff. He gently caressed her smooth skin and massaged her shoulders, leaving her hair last.

"Will you be busy tomorrow? I mean, later today." Kakashi applied more shampoo on her long locks and meticulously washed them, running his fingers through them to make sure they didn't tangle.

"I will be baking Christmas cakes throughout the whole of today and tomorrow, most likely the day after that, too. I will make sure to take some time off, however. If you need me."

"Lady Tsunade insisted to send me on a mission tomorrow."

"A mission? On Christmas? Doesn't that mean you will be busy for the rest of the week?"

"Pretty much."

"That is so unfair. She knows about us."

"But she said she's already short of men. And that she needs me on this mission."

"But I need you too. Who's going to bathe me after I come back exhausted from work?"

Kakashi finished up cleansing her hair and wrapped it up in a big towel. Tegami was now awake enough to put on her bathrobe by herself while Kakashi was drying up his naked torso.

"I'm sorry," he muttered as she hugged him from behind. Turning around, he immediately pulled her into a kiss. "I don't want to do this, either, but you know I can't go against the Hokage's orders."

She kissed him again, pouring out all her passion, trying to bind him to her and make him unable to leave her.

"God, Tegami…"

Kakashi was out of breath. Without realizing, he undid her bathrobe belt and pulled her bare body close to his, keeping his hands on her hips.

IV.

When she awoke, Tegami found no one by her side. She sat up, still sleepy, and saw a note on Kakashi's desk. It said that he'd gone to the Hokage's office to get more details on the mission and that the miso soup he'd cooked was probably cold.

Tegami laughed but snapped out of her reverie as soon as she saw how late it was. Dressing up in a rush, she hurried to the teahouse, worrying constantly about how many cakes she had to bake that day.

The kitchen and the sweets she loved so much were suddenly dreadful. Entering the already heated kitchen, Tegami was reminded of the sad fact that she would have to spend the holidays without Kakashi. And she had been so looking forward to it…

Swept up by recipes in her attempt to keep her mind busy, Tegami wasn't aware of how quickly the time passed and was startled to see the sky was already dark.

"Onee-chan!" Seiichi called for her, "The Hokage is looking for you."

Tegami raised her head and wiped her hands on her kimono. "The Hokage? What could she possibly want at this hour?"

Seiichi shrugged. "She only asked me to get you for her."

"Tell her I'll be right there."

After she washed her hands and gave some directions to the assistant chefs, she went out to meet Lady Tsunade and found her at a table, together with Shizune.

"Did you want to talk to me?" Tegami promptly asked as she sat down. "I don't want to be rude but will you please make it quick? That kitchen is truly hell."

Tsunade nodded. "I have no time to be wasting, either, so I'll get straight to the point. I need you back on duty for a night."

Tegami was at a loss for words. She had expected that even Lady Tsunade would want one of her cakes or maybe she would be throwing a party and had come with an invitation… But Tegami couldn't have been more mistaken.

"I…I'm not sure I can—"

"I told you, you wouldn't get away so easily."

Tegami lowered her head. The gears of her mind were turning faster and faster, she wanted to refuse but she couldn't. On the other hand, she needed a break from the kitchen but she also didn't want to sacrifice the short time she would have with Kakashi—

"I…will do it. On one condition," Tegami whispered, her eyes sparkling brightly.

Tsunade frowned. She needed Tegami but couldn't be sure that her condition was reasonable.

Taking advantage of Tsunade's silence, Tegami voiced her wish, "I will do what you want me to, only if you let Kakashi off the hook."

Tsunade pondered over this dangerous offer with a very concerned expression. "Ah, dammit!" she burst in the end, punching her fist on the table. All the eyes were on her.

Tegami felt cornered. Her relationship with Kakashi still wasn't that well-known and if the Hokage said another word, Tegami could become, once again, the most predominant gossip subject.

Noticing the tension, Tsunade glanced around herself and, clearing her throat, spoke in a lower voice. "I can't let him off the hook, even if I want to. I can do something else, though."

"What?"

The Hokage grinned. "I'll let you spend Christmas together."

V.

As instructed by the Hokage, Tegami waited at the main gate for some daimyo's son, a young man she had had the chance to meet a few years back. An acquaintance of the late Third Hokage, the daimyo had requested his help in a dangerous matter, which could have led to serious conflicts. Tegami had been sent in to help solve the problem and had gained the daimyo's trust.

Therefore, her duty was now to guide his son, Akio, who was briefly visiting Konoha on behalf of his ill father.

Tegami was shivering as the snow kept falling. It wouldn't have been that bad, had the cold, sharp breeze not made it very difficult to see.

For a moment, Tegami regretted her choice. It wasn't worse than the hellish kitchen but she could have spent this time comfortably waiting for Kakashi while reading a book. However, this was the only option she had to be together with Kakashi for the last few days of the year. Even if it meant going on a mission off the record, it was worth it.

As she was wrapping her winter haori tighter around herself, Tegami could see round, yellow lights approach the gate, accompanied by the sound of snow crunching beneath heavy weight and several voices, chatting amiably.

The silence settled as the envoy got closer and the gate guards also stepped out to give their greetings.

A long haired man, wearing a light colored kimono and a thick, grey haori was walking ahead of a carriage but he didn't have that much snow on him. There were half a dozen men surrounding him and another two who were leading the horses. All of them, except for Akio, wore hooded capes and carried swords.

"Welcome to Konoha, Akio-dono," Tegami greeted the guest, bowing respectfully. The two gate guards followed suit but Akio didn't respond with a similar gesture.

Instead, he grabbed Tegami's shoulders and lifted her up, scrutinizing her face with narrowed eyes.

"Tegami? Tegami, is it you?" He had a soft voice and a kind look.

"Yes, it's me," Tegami said, with a smile.

"Oh my, Tegami!" Akio appeared to be very excited to meet up with an old friend and hugged her without thinking twice about it.

It gave quite the fright to his bodyguards, who were about to draw out their swords, but Tegami quickly held up her hands, emphasizing the fact that she wasn't armed.

"It's been so long," Akio whispered, staring deeply into her eyes.

Tegami felt embarrassed all of a sudden. Her cheeks were flushed and she couldn't bear to look him in the eye anymore.

"What's wrong?" Genuine worry was clear in his voice. "Did something happen?" He still hadn't let go of her shoulders so Tegami found herself in a very awkward situation.

"Tegami?" Much to her relief and astonishment, Kakashi showed up, looking as impassive as always and a bit confused.

"Who is he?" Akio asked.

"Akio-dono, let me introduce you to Hatake Kakashi." Tegami turned towards her lover, pointing at their guest. "Kakashi, this is Akio-dono, the guest we were expecting. Kakashi will be in charge of your protection," Tegami explained.

Akio bowed slightly, not taking his eyes off the silver-haired man. "I already have my guards…and you. I don't need anyone else, Tegami." His gaze was pleading, as if he was begging her to send away any strangers so that they could be alone.

"It was…our Hokage's orders. This way, please."

Tegami distanced herself from him, leading the way towards the lodging place. Kakashi walked by her side, throwing furtive glances over his shoulder at the sad-looking man that was following them.

"What's up with that guy?" he inquired in a very low voice.

"He's Akio-dono, the son of—"

"I know who he is," Kakashi broke in, "but why was he looking at you like that?"

Tegami could barely stifle a smile. "Are you jealous?"

Kakashi looked away, pretending not to have heard. "He probably would have kissed you if I hadn't come."

"Kakashi!"

"What? Couldn't you see the look in his eyes?"

Tegami lowered her gaze, biting her lip. "I'm sorry, it's just that—"

"Why are you here in the first place?"

"Lady Tsunade asked me to help her. I'm going on the mission with you."

"But you're not a shinobi anymore."

"Well, we reached a compromise. I do what she asks me to and I get to spend Christmas with you. How's that?"

"Reckless," came the prompt reply. "You've been off duty for too long. It's dangerous."

"It used to be my specialty. Besides…" Her sly smile piqued Kakashi's interest. "We only have to escort him half the way tomorrow. And then we can spend the holidays wherever we want." She slid closer to him. "I know a great resort in that area. You'll love it." She playfully hit his arm, winking suggestively.

Kakashi's defenses were now completely ruined. "All right. I understand. But please don't stay too close to him."

Tegami nodded. "Don't worry."

They soon reached the designated place and while Akio's bodyguards were making sure the room was safe, Tegami tried to entertain her guest by engaging him in a friendly chat.

"What brings you here at such a time, Akio-dono? This time of the year is best spent with the family and the ones you love."

Since Kakashi was outside, checking the surroundings, Akio dared to take Tegami's hand and presented her with a gift.

"A-Akio-dono, what is this?" She took the small, square box, unable to conceal her bewilderment.

"You probably wouldn't believe me if I told you I came all the way here for this."

"Akio-dono…"

Tegami was touched by his affected countenance, feeling somehow guilty although she knew she had no reason to.

"I came to see how you were doing. I have been repeatedly urged to get married and I hoped I could make everyone happy, including myself…"

Tegami felt his grasp tighten.

"I think I am bit late, however," he continued, looking up at Kakashi, who had just come in. Akio let go of Tegami's hand and encouraged her to open the present. "Come on. Consider it as my paying that debt of gratitude I owed you."

Tegami reluctantly undid the red ribbon and slowly opened the box. An orange marble-shaped gem sat on a white, velvety pillow, its core shining brightly.

"Akio-dono, this is…It looks very precious. I'm not sure I can accept this."

"Please do," he insisted. "It reminded me of you as soon I saw it. Accept it, and wear it to my wedding."

Tegami chuckled lightly. "Is this an invitation?"

He shook his head. "No. You saved my life. I know it's not enough, it will never be—" He stopped mid-sentence, feeling that he'd said enough. The atmosphere was already too tensed and he didn't want to put Tegami in an even more awkward position.

"I see that my guards have returned," Akio said, standing up. "Now if you'll excuse me, I would like to get some rest. We'll leave early in the morning."

"Yes, of course…" Tegami put the box in the large pocket of her haori. "Lady Tsunade would have liked to pay you a visit, though."

One of Akio's attendants helped him out of his haori. "Oh, that's right. Where are my manners? Of course." He whipped up his hair in a loose bun, fixing it with silver pins.

"I'll arrange a meal. Well then." Tegami bowed and left, followed closely by Kakashi.

VI.

"You're quite the heartbreaker, aren't you?" Kakashi joked.

But Tegami couldn't feel amused. "It's an awful feeling, you know. He was really nice to me."

"What was that about your saving his life?"

Tegami leaned on his shoulder, looking up at the dark night sky. "There was an assassination plot. I saw through it and dealt with it quietly."

Kakashi put his arm around her, kissing the top of her head. "I would have fallen in love with you, too."

They sat in silence, watching the snowflakes dance, forgetting about the cold because they had each other.

VII.

At the crack of dawn, Tegami stealthily climbed down the stairs, carrying a traveling backpack and a couple of colorful boxes. She had prepared presents for her family and although she was sorry she couldn't give them personally, she felt like a Santa, secretly hiding the boxes under the Christmas tree.

However, she was surprised to see that she hadn't been the first Santa, as there already was a beautifully wrapped present waiting for its recipient under the evergreen branches. It had a handwritten tag on it, which read 'For Tegami'.

Deeply touched, she picked up the rectangular box and carefully opened it. There was a collection of books inside, a series she'd wanted to read for a while. There was also a note, telling her to take out the books, so she did.

Beneath the books lay bright, warm silk. Tegami grazed her fingertips across the smooth cloth, afraid of staining it. She very cautiously took out the kimono, marveling at the charming floral patterns, orange cherry blossoms on a cream colored background. The wide obi was brown, just like the long haori.

The outfit was completed by two silver hairpins, with fan-shaped ends, which fell on Tegami's lap as she was inspecting the kimono.

Tegami was on the verge of crying. She packed up her present, adding a 'thank you' on the nametag and quickly made her way outside, worrying that she might run late.

The Shishatori domains were very different from how they used to be in the summer. The trees and the paths were the same. The houses and the lake, too. But now everything was white, instead of green.

The empty branches were dark and lonely, while the snow-covered ground made orientation very difficult. The lake was frozen and could very well be used as a skating rink. The Shishatori children usually spent half the day skating.

Tegami used to do the same thing, as a child. Her brother, as one of the Shichi Fukujin, would spend most of his time training around the lake. But his breaks, he would spend them teaching his twin sister how to skate.

The forest also held a lot of the twins' precious memories. Their games of hide-and-seek, the family treasure hunts in the summer and the snowmen-building and angels-making in the winter…it was a sacred place.

Tegami emerged from the Shishatori domains with a broad smile on her face, which made Kakashi smile, too, and wonder what she had been thinking about.

"It's going to be a beautiful day," she cheerfully said,

"You think?" Kakashi stared with doubt at the grey sky. The morning fog was still thick and if a snowstorm also came upon them, they would have a hard time accomplishing their mission.

"Yes. It's just too early. The sky will clear up later on, along with the fog. It might be a bit cold but we can handle it. Right? What could possibly go wrong?"

VIII.

As if someone had been plotting against them, Kakashi's worst case scenario came to life only a couple of hours after they had left the village. Luckily, Akio had insisted that Tegami should ride in his carriage with him, which eased a bit of Kakashi's worries—not only because it was better for Tegami, but also because she could keep a close eye on the VIP, just in case.

The six guards and the two attendants were strategically placed around the carriage, while Kakashi was anxiously checking the surroundings. An ominous feeling was lingering in the cold air and his danger sensors were tingling.

"Be on your toes," he warned, bringing his hand to his headband.

But before he could uncover his sharingan, a kunai flew past his face, scratching the back of his hand.

"Watch out!" Kakashi yelled but by the time everyone got his message, the carriage had been blown up and most of the guards slain. "No…No!"

He ran to the burning remnants of the carriage, searching desperately for a body or at least a clue. There was nothing. Both Tegami and Akio were gone.

"Tegami!"

Using the blood on his hand, he summoned Pakkun and had him find Tegami's scent.

"This way," the little dog barked and ran along one of the many red traces, meant to mislead any possible trackers. But Pakkun's nose couldn't be fooled.

"Is it Tegami's blood?" Kakashi asked, concerned.

Pakkun sniffed the red drops more carefully. "No, not all of it. There are some hair strands too. I don't think she's seriously injured."

"Hang in there, Tegami," Kakashi murmured. "I'm coming to get you."

IX.

The gang that kidnapped Tegami and Akio took cover behind a fallen tree, throwing the former shinobi down on the ground. Tegami grimaced, struggling to get to her feet. Her hands were red and hurting. Akio crawled over to her, although his arm was badly wounded.

"We should kill her," one of the masked men suggested. "We don't need an extra burden."

Akio shielded her with his body. "I won't let you!"

"Akio-dono…" Tegami pushed him aside, stepping in front of him.

It was strange, the feeling she had, getting ready to fight. She hadn't used her chakra in a long time. Even if she was a bit rusty, it was good enough for at least a simple jutsu.

The problem was that she could barely move her fingers. She had five handsigns to do. It normally wouldn't be a big deal but it seemed like the most difficult thing on Earth at that moment.

Gathering her strength, she took advantage of the small injury she had on her forehead and summoned Fuusoku, an incredibly fast eagle she often used in the past for emergency deliveries.

Fuusoku was natively restless so as soon as he showed up, he distracted Tegami's captors enough for her to muster up chakra for a new jutsu.

"Wind release…great breakthrough," she whispered, out of breath. But even if she was weak, the gust of wind she created was strong enough to blow up the fresh snow and give her an opportunity to run away.

Taking hold of Akio, she took off through the trees, dragging Akio along. Fuusoku was flying above them and Tegami directed it to go get Kakashi.

"Akio-dono!"

Akio had collapsed because of the heavy bleeding.

"Akio-dono!" He was almost unconscious, without much strength left.

Tegami put him on her back and kept running. She wasn't in that great of a state, either, but she had no choice.

It was dangerous. She could die. She knew it very well. But she couldn't ignore the thrill heating up her body, making her blood boil. It wasn't excitement. It was more than adrenaline. A chemical reaction enhanced by chakra powered up her system.

Without realizing, she'd jumped on a high branch, hopping from tree to tree, still carrying Akio. The masked gang was hot on her trail and because her hands were full, she couldn't weave any handsigns.

Even if she had recovered her strength, Tegami knew that she was going to run out of energy sooner or later. And when that happened, not only her…but also the VIP would die. She prayed that Kakashi would reach her in time. Not for the sake of her life, but for the sake of the mission.

X.

"That's one hell of a way to spend Christmas."

A rough voice broke through the dizzying silence. Tegami slowly opened her eyes.

"Father?"

Yuuma grinned at his daughter. "Yo!"

Tegami sat up, her head throbbing. "Where am I?" she barely whispered, her body hurting all over.

"Konoha Hospital. Kakashi's waiting outside." And with that, Yuuma stood up, kissed his daughter's forehead and left.

Tegami looked outside the window and was still staring at the twinkling stars when Kakashi sat on the edge of her bed, startling her.

"Hey."

She smiled, although it pained her. "Hey."

"How are you?" He brought his hand to her bandaged forehead, brushing away a stray strand of hair.

She closed her eyes, breathing in. "Could have been better."

"Just…what were you thinking?" He gently pulled her in a hug, careful not to hurt her.

"It was…it was great."

Kakashi stared at her, bewildered. "Are you kidding me?"

She chuckled, grimacing afterwards. "I know it's shocking. But…I felt…I never felt like that. I was never so desperate, so—"

"And that was a good thing?"

She shook her head, cuddling at his chest. "It was a great feeling. Like electricity was surging through my body. It was a near death experience I shouldn't go through again—By the way, what happened to Akio-dono?"

Kakashi was slightly taken aback. He hadn't checked on that. "He was fine last time I saw him. I think he left with another team earlier."

"Really? I'm glad he is all right. I was worried they would kill him."

"You should worry more about yourself."

"It was a mission."

"You're not a shinobi." Kakashi grazed his thumb across her cheek, closing in for a kiss. Unfortunately, the door opened just at that moment, causing him to jump up.

"Tegami!" Kitte cried. "My little sister, Tegami!" He fell on his knees near her bed, taking her hand. "I was mad with worry! What did you get yourself into, now that you're not even a shinobi anymore?"

The rest of Tegami's family came pouring in through the door, Seiichi and his pregnant wife, her grandmother and even her mother. Kakashi suddenly felt he was intruding and discreetly made his way out.

Tsunade met him in the hall, arms crossed. "How is she?" the Hokage asked with a frown.

Kakashi scratched the back of his head, smiling. "I think she's fine now. Her family came to see her."

"So why are you leaving?"

He lowered his eyes to the ground. "It doesn't feel like…I belong there."

Tsunade stomped towards him and grabbed his elbow. "See? That's why I assigned you to a mission for Christmas. You're not even trying to make yourself a family."

The Hokage slid the door open and pushed Kakashi inside. "Merry Christmas, everyone!" she cheered loudly before slamming the door shut.

"Why did she—"

Kakashi turned around slowly, feeling quite flustered. "Hello," he greeted rather shyly, bowing a little.

Tegami's face had brightened up.

"Senpai, come over here!" Kitte walked over to him and dragged him near the bed. "Mom, this is Kakashi-senpai. I've told you about him, remember?"

Yoshie smiled kindly. "How could I forget?" She held out her hand. Kakashi took it reluctantly. "Thank you for taking care of my daughter, Kakashi-san."

Tegami bit her lip to hold her laughter. Kakashi's baffled expression was that funny. But Yoshie's big, warm eyes warmed him up, too, and made him drop his guard so before he knew it, he was being hugged by his soon-to-be mother-in-law.

"I'm sorry," Yoshie said, stepping aside. "I got a bit carried away."

"I-It's okay," Kakashi muttered, obviously fumbling for words.

"Oh, for goodness' sake! Let's let the kids be!" Momoe quickly ushered everyone outside, winking at her granddaughter. "Merry Christmas, darlings."

"Thank you, Grandmother."

Kakashi sighed relieved as soon as they were left alone.

"Was that too burdensome?" Tegami sheepishly asked.

He smiled. "Don't worry about it. It's about time I got used to it, anyway."

Tegami's expression was an unclear combination of a smile and a frown. Kakashi knelt near her bed, his elbows on the blanket.

"What are you doing, Kakashi?"

Opening up his fist, he revealed a delicate silver ring, with a small, orange stone attached to it.

Her eyes kept going back and forth, from the ring to Kakashi's face. She was overwhelmed. There were no words to express how happy she was and the tears she shed were proof of that.

"You—really…"

"I hope those are tears of happiness," Kakashi whispered as he put the ring on her finger.

"This is the best Christmas ever!" Tegami threw herself at him, in spite of the pangs she had in her muscles.

"Merry Christmas to you, too, Tegami."

When she finally stopped crying, Tegami finished what Kakashi had almost started earlier, putting all her gratitude and happiness into one passionate kiss.

* * *

_So, how did you like these guys' Christmas? :) I'm still not sure whether to write a New Year story too...I was planning to do something bit spicier but the story is T-rated so I would have to write it separately as an M-rated one-shot. Would you like something like that? Please let me know!_

_Oh, and...MERRY CHRISTMAS! _


	16. After-story: A Happy New Year

I.

Kakashi stared bewildered at the smiling woman and reluctantly took the package that was being handed to him.

"What…is this?" he asked, examining the flat, rectangular box with curiosity and confusion.

"Well, I know it is a bit late for a Christmas present but I wanted you to have it," Yoshie replied.

Kakashi looked at Tegami, who shrugged, then proceeded to open his gift. It was a grayish-green kimono, accompanied by a gray hakama and a dark green haori. The formal outfit was completed by a pair of tabi socks and a folding fan which left Kakashi quite speechless.

"I have one, too," Tegami happily said. "We can wear them together for the hatsumōde."

"Thank you," Kakashi barely managed to whisper, unsure of how he should react.

"Leave that now," Tegami harshly pulled him out of his trance. "We have work to do, come on!"

She grabbed his elbow and dragged him out in the backyard, followed closely by her twin. Even though the sun had set, the backyard was lit by a light pole planted near the house

"What are we doing out here?" Kakashi asked but Tegami and Kitte had gone back inside.

They emerged carrying big basins full of rice and water.

"We'll be making rice cakes," Kitte proudly announced then went on to make a fire.

"We're first washing the rice," she told her fiancée, "then let it soak overnight. In the morning, we mash it. After that we mold it into mochi."

She put down the basin and rolled up her sleeves, crouching down. Kakashi was still looking on, perplexed. "What are you doing?" she scolded him, "Go wash your hands and help me wash the rice."

"Y-Yes…," he muttered, as if he was accepting an order.

"We have to do this really carefully," Tegami explained, digging her hands in the rice swimming in warm water. Kakashi did the same. "Since we're a big family with a lot of friends, this is only the first round."

He looked up at her. _We're a big family._ Those words alone made his heart beat. And it beat even harder as their hands met beneath the rice.

They locked gazes, heavy and intense, but soon averted their glimmering eyes as they secretly held onto each other. Pulling their hands back and bringing them together over and over again, the rice was being washed, of course, but they both felt like they were committing a crime.

Kitte had his back turned towards them as he mended the fire while the two lovers were communicating through furtive glances and hidden caresses.

It was a strange sort of adrenaline-enhanced excitement, which made Tegami wonder what it would be like if she and Kakashi sparred. It was an odd and wicked thought that sent the blood rushing to her cheeks. Tegami bit her lip, regretting that she had pulled up her hair and couldn't use it to shield her face.

Kakashi paused, noticing that she was flustered. Tegami took out her hands and tilted the basin slightly, to drain the water, and he pressed his palms on the rice, to keep it from falling. He was itching to kiss her and hold her but he clenched his fists and restrained himself.

"Kitte, we're done here," she called to his brother and took the other basin.

"Gotcha." Kitte picked up the washed rice then went to pour fresh water over it and let it soak in the kitchen.

Meanwhile, Kakashi and Tegami were washing the second basin of rice, without even glancing at each other. He wanted to speak to her, ask her if something was wrong but she was humming and he didn't dare to disturb her. On the other hand, he was curious about the melody. It wasn't a tune he could recognize but then again, he didn't know much about music either.

"Oh, is that Teru-teru-bōzu?" Kitte exclaimed, coming out with another basin of rice. Tegami raised her head and smiled. Kakashi looked as if he had just heard a foreign language. "Senpai, you don't know about Teru-teru-bōzu?"

"It's the first time I hear about it," Kakashi sheepishly admitted.

"No way! Senpai, you must have had a sad childhood."

Tegami was about to snap at her brother, aware that he had struck a sensitive chord. Turning to Kakashi, she hoped he wouldn't be much affected and attempted to comfort him with a tender gaze.

"I became a chuunin before you guys were even able to speak," Kakashi replied, as they were draining the water from the second batch of rice. "So I pretty much spent my childhood on the battlefield."

Kitte smiled, somewhat embarrassed. "Sorry, sorry." But then his face lit up as a brilliant idea flashed across his mind. "I know! Tegami, why don't you sing for us tonight?"

Tegami was about to go inside with the basin of rice but halted mid-step upon hearing her brother's suggestion. "Sing?"

Kakashi also stared at Kitte. "Sing?"

Kitte seemed shocked. "Senpai, you mean you didn't know that Tegami could sing?" Kakashi could only blink. Kitte turned to his sister. "Tegami! I can't believe this! What kind of girlfriend are you?"

He picked up the rice he had washed with one hand and took the basin from Tegami with the other hand and headed for the house. "You wait here. I'll bring some saké to set the mood." Then he vanished.

Kakashi stood up and approached his blushing fiancée. "You never told me you could sing."

"You never asked," she cheekily replied.

He quirked a brow. "That's not a question normally asked."

Tegami swiftly avoided him by crouching down near the fire. "I don't normally flaunt my talents, either." She stretched out her hands to warm them up. "I picked up singing when I was little," she began, her mien becoming nostalgic.

"My grandmother had wanted me to learn how to play the biwa but I never liked it. She was one of the Shichi Fukujin, you know? She hoped I would be, too, and was very strict with her teachings." She paused, gulping. "It was Hiroyuki-sensei who changed her mind."

Tegami chuckled and secretly wiped off a tear. "Well, he did get me into drinking but he also helped me improve my singing. He always had me sing when we would hang out together. Every day was a party."

She crossed her arms over her knees and hummed another tune. She soon added lyrics to it and Kakashi could now recognize the folk song 'Sakura, Sakura'.

"It was sensei's favorite song," Tegami explained. "Because Kotone and I would sing it together. I would sing the lyrics and she would play the koto. We were the perfect combo."

Kakashi wanted to pull her in a hug but something else occurred to him. "Tegami, there's something…"

She turned to him. "Hm?"

"There's something you should know." He had remembered Hisashi's last words and also that he had failed to relay them to Tegami.

"What is it?"

Kakashi breathed in, preparing to break the shocking news to her, but Kitte had to interrupt them. "I have brought the saké!" He gave a cup to his senpai and a cup to his sister, poured the warm drink and held up his cup for a cheer.

Kakashi only smiled, seeing Tegami's inquisitive mien. He could always tell her later.

"Now, Tegami." Kitte adopted a very serious stance as the producer of the impromptu concert. "Since it's winter, we should definitely begin with Winter's Song. One, two, three…"

Following her brother's lead, Tegami breathed in and hesitantly started the song, "Yuki ya konko, arare ya konko…"

It was a cute, soft tune which drew Kakashi in immediately. Tegami's voice was smooth and soothing and it made him think of little children playing in the snow. He was so captivated that he didn't notice when the song was over and just kept staring, enthralled, at his lover.

"How did you like it, senpai?" Kitte burst Kakashi's bubble, grinning widely. "Up next is Teru-teru-bōzu! Mom taught us to sing this song and make paper dolls when it was raining and we wanted to go out and play. Let me refill your cup first. Now! One, two, three—"

The song began with its title verse and had a more traditional sound than the other. It made Kakashi feel like he was assisting to some celebratory ceremony.

"Teru teru bozu, teru bozu…Do make tomorrow a sunny day, like the sky in a dream some time. If it's sunny I'll give you a golden bell."

Tegami stood up as she began singing the second stanza, moving around in some sort of strange dance. Kakashi couldn't help wondering whether it was because of the saké.

"Teru teru bozu, teru bozu…Do make tomorrow a sunny day. If you make my wish come true, we'll drink lots of sweet saké."

She held up her cup and made a short pause before starting the third stanza, louder and with visibly more feeling.

"Teru teru bozu, teru bozu! Do make tomorrow a sunny day. But if the clouds are crying …then I shall snip your head off." Tegami finished by running her thumb across her neck and Kitte began to clap.

Kakashi drew back, terrified. "How is that a children's song?..."

II.

"Did I freak you out?" Tegami innocently asked as she was leaning on Kakashi's arm on their way to his apartment.

"Not exactly," he replied calmly.

She laughed. "I know I did, don't try to deny it."

"I blamed it on the saké, so don't worry."

"It was supposed to be a children's song. It freaked me out, too, when I grew older and finally understood what the lyrics were about. Anyway, leaving that aside…how did you like today?"

She looked up at him with her big, brown eyes and he couldn't help smiling when he saw them. "It was nice. I've never washed rice before."

"Really?" She entwined her fingers with his as they were slowly walking side by side. "You'll get to witness my and Kitte's perfect combo tomorrow when we mash the rice. Our father had us do it ever since we got into the Academy. It was his way of training us."

"That's an interesting method."

"But it worked, you know. I think that our rice mashing combo is what improved our jutsu combination skills. Have you ever seen us fight together?"

"I don't think I've had the opportunity."

"Well, you'll see us play hanetsuki tomorrow."

"Hanetsuki?"

They had reached the apartment building.

"That paddle game with a shuttlecock?" Kakashi inquired, pushing open the door to his apartment.

Tegami nodded. "The Shishatori clan has a long-standing hanetsuki tournament tradition. On the last day of the year, while the adults are cooking and getting everything ready, the children gather at the lake and play hanetsuki. Kitte was the hanetsuki champion for five consecutive years before he got too old and wasn't eligible to take part in the children's tournament."

Kakashi took off his upper garments and lay down on his bed while Tegami was washing up in the bathroom. "You even have age categories?" He crossed his hands beneath his head, his voice a bit louder to make sure that Tegami could hear him.

She came out with rosy cheeks, because of the cold water, and her hair let loose over her shoulders. "Yes, because it would have been unfair to pair up older kids with little children. Kitte and I even introduced hanetsuki in pairs. That helped us develop combination techniques, too."

She sat down, running her palm over Kakashi's bare chest. He stopped it with his hand and she bent over to place a kiss over his heart.

"Tegami."

His low whisper piqued her curiosity. "What?"

He sat up, pondering on his words. But before he could say anything, she spoke up, "By the way, what did you want to tell me? That thing you said I should know."

Kakashi sighed. "Yeah, about that…do you want to go out for a drink?"

She chuckled. "Didn't you have enough saké?" She wanted to kiss him but seeing his serious expression, she pulled back and cupped his face. "What's wrong?"

Finally mustering up enough determination, he bravely held her gaze and began to speak. "It's about your sensei."

"What…about him?" Tegami drew back instinctively.

Kakashi knew that the matter of her sensei's death was a delicate issue but he couldn't stand seeing her feel guilty when she actually had no fault. "It was Hisashi who killed him."

Her eyes grew wide, her lips quivering. Kakashi held her hand tightly.

"Before he threw himself at my kunai…he asked me to kill him because he deserved it." He paused, noticing the tears that had started to fall on Tegami's cheeks. He wiped them with his thumb and went on.

"When I asked him why…he said this: 'she did the same stupid thing as her sensei, we both know that you'—meaning I—'would have dodged'."

Her head snapped up. "What's that…supposed to mean?" Her voice was shaky.

He held her tighter. "He was referring to how you jumped in front of me and got stabbed."

Tegami suddenly had a painful flashback and covered her ears. She was living those dreadful moments all over again. Kakashi could only look on, unable to do anything more than wrap her in his arms and kiss the top of her head.

III.

Three young chuunin and a jonin were standing back to back in the middle of a forest.

"Sensei, they're coming," Kotone announced.

They all got ready to battle.

"Tegami, Kitte…on my signal, use your wind-fire combo," Hiroyuki calmly instructed his former students.

"Yes, sir," the twins replied at the same time.

The enemy was getting closer. "_Now!_" Hiroyuki yelled.

Tegami used her Great Breakthrough wind release which was ignited by her brother's fire release. It threw the incoming attackers off guard for a while, giving the shinobi enough time to run.

Hiroyuki was leading the way, with Kotone behind him and the twins last. Tegami wasn't the fastest runner and Kitte couldn't possibly let her fall back.

"Tegami, Koushuu!" he shouted, taking off his earring and throwing it towards the enemy.

The girl nodded and made some handsigns. "Wind Release: Stream!"

Kitte's earring was in fact a vial of poison and Tegami merely used her jutsu to spread the vapors.

"Come on, now!" Kitte took his sister's hand and ran faster.

"Watch out!" Kotone warned but before the twins could do anything, an explosive kunai forced them to fall down on the ground and take shelter behind a large tree.

"Tegami, are you all right?" Kitte asked, concerned.

The girl nodded, breathing hard.

"I'll protect you, don't worry." He held his sister's hand tighter, focusing on their surroundings. He had already begun to mold chakra to activate his kekkei genkai and was assessing the situation.

"I'm sorry," Tegami muttered, "because of me—"

"There's no time for that," he harshly cut her off. "They're coming. Tegami, Hōryū Raika." Kitte made a water clone and had it run towards the attackers. It was struck down by a kunai, forming a puddle, and Tegami used her Lightning release to create an explosion.

Kitte took advantage of the opportunity and dragged his sister out of their hiding spot. Kotone and Hiroyuki had come to their aid, just in time, because they were soon surrounded.

"What do we do?" Kotone hissed, growing tired because of the extensive use of her Byakugan.

"Tegami, I need some wind," Hiroyuki requested, preparing a massive water jutsu. "The strongest you have, Tegami!"

The sensei-student combination worked as a diversion while Kitte used his super strength to cause an earthquake. Kotone had engaged in a close combat with one of the remaining enemies and Kitte rushed to help her.

Tegami was out of breath, taking shelter at the base of a tree. Hiroyuki was in no better shape, either, but he had to stay strong for his teammates. Then he saw a shadow approach Tegami. Without a second thought, he dashed forward and acted as a human shield.

"Se-sensei…" Tegami was staring bewildered at her sensei covered in blood. "Sensei!"

Kitte heard his sister's cry. But as he approached the scene, the killer vanished, unwilling to get involved with one of the Shichi Fukujin. He was well aware of their strength.

However, there were still many others that could fill up his spot. "Kids…go…," Hiroyuki whispered before he breathed his last.

Kitte felt like crying but he already had two stunned girls with him. "Move!" he shouted, picking up his sister.

"But sensei—"

Kitte ignored Tegami's protest and Kotone knew better than to cry.

"Do you think you can summon Koudai?" Kitte asked his twin. "To take us out of here."

Tegami managed to compose herself. "I may be able to but it would take some time."

"We don't have time!" Kotone retorted.

"I will make some," Kitte intervened.

"Kitte!"

Kitte glared at the Hyuuga girl. "It's the only way."

He let the girls take cover behind a huge rock and went by himself to hold back the enemies for at least a couple of minutes.

Using the blood from one of her wounds, Tegami put her hands together and began to meditate. Koudai was a giant condor with a difficult personality who wasn't easily convinced to come out. Moreover, Tegami was already out of chakra and energy but everything depended on her. The pressure helped her concentrate but because she was too absorbed, she couldn't dodge a kunai that came straight towards her.

"Tegami!" Kotone yelled but her teammate couldn't hear anything. She was about to pull the kunai out of Tegami's side until she remembered what she had been taught during a first aid course. The weapon would prevent excessive bleeding.

"Hurry up…hurry up," Kotone was muttering as she was fighting off some attackers.

Out of the blue, a huge bird appeared. Kitte saw it and rushed back to his teammates. He was shocked to find his sister severely wounded but he kept calm and helped her up. They dropped explosive shuriken as they flew off and Tegami soon passed out.

IV.

"It took me a year to recover," Tegami mumbled, cuddled at Kakashi's chest. "They had to surgically remove my kidney. Kitte was promoted to jonin. Kotone hated me. I was taken advantage of. It was a long, painful year."

"But it's over now," he attempted to comfort her, kissing her forehead. "And it wasn't your fault. Your sensei could have told you to dodge, you would have had time. But he chose to die instead. It was the wrong choice."

Tegami smiled bitterly as she looked him in the eye. "So you're telling me that you would have just told Naruto to dodge if he was in danger, instead of jumping in to help him?"

Well, if she put it that way…

"That's not what I'm saying." He could only think of lame excuses that he knew she wouldn't like. "You still don't want that drink?" he suggested again and Tegami gave in this time.

They went together to the Kiyomizu bar—run by her sensei's clan—and the bar tender offered her one the finest drinks they had.

"Thank you," she said with a smile, finishing the first glass in one shot.

"Did something happen?" the bar tender asked as he was wiping some glasses.

Tegami downed another shot. "I…just found out who killed my sensei."

The bar tender glanced from the corner of his eye at Kakashi. "You're still not over that? It's been like…what, 10 years?"

"Almost."

The man sighed, putting the clean glasses in their rightful places. He looked with eyes full of uncertainty at his two customers. Kakashi hadn't touched his drink and Tegami was at the fifth shot already.

He put his hands on the counter, sighing again. "Hiroyuki, forgive me. But I hate to see her get wasted every time she thinks about you…and I feel sorry for this pal here having to look after her." His eyes lingered on Kakashi for a second.

"What are you saying?" a dizzy Tegami inquired.

"I'll tell you a story, girl." The man resumed his glass wiping. "Which happened almost ten years ago. Before your sensei left with you on his last mission."

He picked up another glass. "It was one fine summer day. Hiroyuki came in, smiling, and began to brag about his grown-up students." The bar tender snorted. "He was so happy. And then all of a sudden became gloomy."

"It'll be my last mission, he said. Why, I asked." He paused to arrange some glasses. "You know very well why, he said, but promise me to never tell my students."

"So I promised." He looked over his shoulder at the dazed Tegami. "But I'm now ready to break my promise. Hiroyuki will punish me in Hell for this but…I have to do it."

Tegami was clenching her fist on a glass, her lips trembling.

"You never knew that your sensei had trouble with his liver, did you?"

Tegami stared wide-eyed at the man behind the counter.

"You will have, too, if you don't cool it down," he continued. "His clock was ticking. Fast. But he wanted to die a hero. Not a depraved drunken bastard."

Tegami opened her mouth to speak but she couldn't utter a word. She burst into tears, biting down on her lips and covering her face with her hands.

"He was a selfish son of a bitch. But he loved you. And because he loved you, he didn't want you guys to think lowly of him. That's why he wanted to die in battle. That's why he made me promise not to tell you about his illness. That's why he chose to give up his life for you."

Tegami was quietly sobbing. Kakashi didn't know what to say to make her feel better so he just put her on his back and carried her to her family's home, on the Shishatori domains.

Much to his surprise, the lights were still on and he found the men of the house playing cards.

"Senpai!" Kitte was the first one to notice they had a guest. And he was also the fist one to rush up to him. "What happened to Tegami?"

Kakashi glanced at his still sobbing fiancée. "She's…Well, I think you should take care of her."

"Why me?" Kitte's sharp senses quickly told him that something was off.

"You'll see."

Kitte took his sister in his arms and went upstairs to her bedroom. Kakashi was called to fill up Kitte's place in the game.

"It's uta-garuta," Yuuma explained. "We usually play it around this time of the year."

Kakashi listened carefully to the rules and tried his best to play. No one dared to question him about Tegami.

V.

Tegami awoke early in the morning, as if nothing had happened the previous day. The men of the house, including Kakashi and except Kitte, were passed out in the kitchen. They had played cards and drunk saké until dawn and were likely to sleep until noon.

Kitte and Tegami dragged each of them to their respective rooms and since Kakashi didn't have his own bedroom, he was taken to his fiancée's bedroom.

Yoshie and Momoe began to cook osechi-ryōri, traditional New Year's food, while Aya-chan was making sweets. Kitte and Tegami had relocated with the rice in the backyard and were getting ready to make the mochi.

The process was relatively simple but it required precise coordination. The soaked rice was dumped in a large mortar, called usu, and pounded with a mallet, called kine. Kitte was the one who handled the kine while Tegami was wetting and turning the rice. Kitte had to be careful, otherwise he could pound Tegami's hands, too, and not just the rice.

"Hit," Tegami said, retreating her hands. Kitte lowered the mallet and after he lifted it, she turned the rice again and poured some water over it. "Hit," she said, once her hands were out.

"We should tell Kotone," Kitte mumbled, as he let the kine fall.

"Hit."

"We were all his students, Tegami."

"Hit."

"She has the right to know."

"Hit."

Kitte sighed. "I think we're done with this one."

The mashed rice was put in the basin which it had come from and another basin was emptied in the usu.

"Hit."

"I'll tell Kotone about it," Kitte continued.

"Hit."

"Today…or tomorrow."

"Hit."

"I'm not doing it to mend your friendship, Tegami."

"Hit."

"It's because I feel that she needs to know. He was her sensei, too."

"Hit." But the mallet never came. Tegami looked up, confused.

"Were you even listening to what I said?" Kitte complained.

"Yes, I heard it all."

He quirked a brow. "I asked if you listened, I've no doubt that you heard."

She averted her eyes. "You said you will tell Kotone about Hiroyuki-sensei."

"Good. Move your hands." He raised the kine and dropped it on the rice with a muffled thud.

VI.

Kakashi woke up with a throbbing headache. He got up nonetheless, only to find himself in an unknown place. It took him a couple of seconds to remember he had brought Tegami to her family the other night which also enabled him to recognize his surroundings. It was Tegami's room.

He went out in the hallway, his attention caught by the loud commotion downstairs. He descended reluctantly, coming across a very merry family.

Yuuma and his father were playing a board game, Seiichi was helping his mother clean the kitchen and Aya-chan was discussing with the oldest woman of the house, probably asking for advice on how to deal with her pregnancy.

Throwing a glimpse out the window, Kakashi spotted the twins laughing while they were molding the mashed rice into funny looking mochi.

"Oh, Kakashi, you're up," Yuuma was the first one to notice his future son-in-law.

Kakashi bowed respectfully.

"Did you sleep well?" the older shinobi asked, grinning.

"Ah, yes, don't worry." There were still no questions about Tegami's suspicious state the other night and Kakashi was glad about that. He wouldn't have wanted to give some awkward explanations.

He joined the twins in the backyard and rejoiced at the sight of his happy fiancée. He'd feared that she would be troubled over last night's issue for a longer time but luckily, he'd been mistaken.

As he stood there, admiring her, Kitte raised his head and called out to his senpai. Tegami turned around, smiling.

"Good morning," she teased him, since it was already well over noon.

Kakashi walked up to them. "Are you okay?"

Tegami nodded, looking at her brother. "We both are."

"Well, senpai." He got to his feet, dusting himself off. "I have something to do today so I'll let you take my place." Kitte patted his senpai on the shoulder and jumped on a tree branch, quickly making his way towards the village.

Kakashi took the seat Kitte had warmed up and picked up one of the rice figurines. "What's this?" It looked like a snowman, made of three round balls, but the last one had a face carved on it.

"That's Kitte practicing his sculpting skills. Rather inexistent sculpting skills." Tegami molded two round mochi, of different sizes, and put the smaller one atop the big one.

"This is kagami-mochi," she explained. "We'll put it on our house's altar, with a tangerine on top, and break it apart and eat it next week."

"You have a lot of traditions," Kakashi noted.

Tegami smiled affectionately. "We have a close-knit family. And strict grandparents to guide us."

"It feels really nice," Kakashi whispered, still staring at the kagami-mochi.

"Here." She handed him a fistful of mashed rice. "Mold it. Kakashi's first mochi."

His fingers that made handsigns so quickly and had such a good aim when throwing kunai were suddenly extremely clumsy. Tegami chuckled lightly.

"Let me…give you a hand." She stood up and went to his side, taking his hand in hers.

Unlike the other day, Kakashi couldn't hold back this time and craned his neck to reach her mouth. Fortunately, Tegami hid his face from view and he could kiss her for real, instead of pecking her lips through his mask.

"My family is probably watching," she gently scolded him.

"So what? They should get used to it." And he kissed her again.

VII.

"It looks good on you," Tegami said, as soon as Kakashi showed up dressed in his kimono.

"…You think?" He felt awkward because he wasn't used to such loose clothes. On the other hand, though, he couldn't take his eyes off the dolled up Tegami.

The colors of her kimono matched her perfectly and her hair was pulled up in a classy bun, fixed with two silver hairpins.

"Yes. You're quite handsome. Let's go." She took his hand and led him outside.

"Quite?"

They walked arm in arm to the shrine, a little after midnight, on the first day of the new year.

"You probably haven't done this before, either, have you?" Tegami asked.

Kakashi shook his head. "That's true. This is hatsumōde, right? The first trip to the shrine."

Tegami nodded. "Yes. We'll eat the osechi my mother prepared for us afterwards and stay up to see the sunrise. That's hatsuhinode. The first sunrise."

"Sounds interesting."

Tegami stopped walking. "Oh."

"What is it?" He looked at her, confused, then followed her gaze to see what she was staring at. Naruto and Sakura already were at the shrine, saying their prayers.

"We should go," she whispered, "Let's not disturb them."

Kakashi prevented her from walking away, which earned him a disconcerted look from his fiancée. "We can't keep it a secret forever, can we?"

Tegami smiled. "That's true."

They walked together towards the shrine just as Naruto and Sakura were turning around.

"Oh, Kakashi-sensei!" The boy waved at his sensei but halted as soon as he noticed the other person. "Sakura-chan, what is Kakashi-sensei doing with a woman?"

Sakura smiled, troubled. She didn't know how to explain it to her former teammate to make him understand.

"Woah, she's pretty. Kakashi-sensei, who is this?" Naruto asked, as soon as the couple were within hearing range.

Tegami bowed, introducing herself. "My name is Miyamoto Tegami."

Naruto seemed delighted, then astonished. "Ah! You're the headlock lady from the teahouse!"

Tegami laughed, remembering that particular circumstance on Christmas Eve. "Yes, I am," she admitted.

"Why are you here…together?" Naruto inquired.

Sakura tried to silence her friend but to no avail.

"Hatsumōde," Tegami simply said and stepped up to the bells. "Come on."

Kakashi followed suit, smiling awkwardly. Each of them grabbed the rope they had in front of them and shook it, clapping their hands twice after that. They stood like that, with their palms put together and their eyes closed, saying their prayers and wishes for the New Year.

They were both modest with their requests. Tegami only wished for their health and Kakashi's safety during missions, while Kakashi prayed for a long, peaceful life by Tegami's side.

By the time they were done and turned around, Naruto and Sakura had disappeared.

VIII.

After they finished eating, Kakashi and Tegami were waiting for the sunrise atop a hill, surrounded by snow. They had spread out a couple of straw mats to sit on and were cuddled together, their eyes fixed on the horizon.

"It's a bit cold," Tegami noted, blowing out little clouds of steam.

"Should we warm up a bit, then?"

She grinned, noticing the subtle naughty undertone in his voice. But before she could reply, he assaulted her throat, leaving a mark at the base of her neck.

"It tickles!" she giggled, moving slightly away.

He wrapped his arm around her waist, holding her close. She slowly raised her head to meet his eyes. He lost himself in a second.

With a hand on the small of her back and the other one on her cheek, he pulled her into a heated, languid kiss. Without even realizing, his fingers skillfully undid her obi, which made her vulnerable to his craving touches.

Slipping beneath the silk of her kimono and the cotton of her undergarments, Kakashi's hands softly rested on her ribs, while his lips descended from her jaw to her collarbones and lastly her bosom.

Tegami shivered as a gust of wind swept over them. Having discarded his hakama, Tegami tugged on the edges of Kakashi's kimono, to bare his chest, and pulled him in a warm embrace, stretching her legs around his hips. One of his hands traveled down her thigh, drawing her knee up, as he pushed her down on the straw mat.

The first tender sunrays ascended quietly, in the midst of the plighted lovers' passion, and shyly cast their light over the frozen forest.

By the time the sun was fully up, the two had already sat up, wrapping their garments tightly around themselves.

"Tegami…"

"Hm?" Tegami looked up, her interest piqued by Kakashi's low voice.

"I love you." He put his arm around her and kissed her forehead.

"Thank you," she whispered, resting her head on his shoulder.

"What for?"

"For believing in me…for always being by my side…and most importantly, for loving me. Kakashi…"

"Hm?" He smiled, imitating her earlier gesture.

"I love you, too."

He kissed her forehead again and they gazed together towards the glowing sun, gradually lighting up the whole village.

* * *

**Now, quite a lengthy author's note for you. I researched folk songs and Japanese New Year's traditions on Wikipedia. **

**For the New Year's tradition, just look it up on Google and you should find a Wikipedia article. It mentions all the games traditionally played (including hanetsuki, uta-garuta and the sogoroku, the board game Yuuma was playing), the culinary customs and there's some article about mochi (rice cakes) where there's also a video attached of how the rice is mashed. I hope I described everything clearly enough, this is just for those interested.**

**Oh, and as for Kakashi's kimono...I also looked it up on the net and that's how men wear their kimono. They wear a kimono and over it hakama (which is like a pair of really loose pants), a haori and they even carry a folding fan.**

**For the folk songs, search for 'Warabe uta' on Wikipedia and Teru-teru-bozu and Winter's song will be there, with Japanese lyrics and English translations.**

**If you want to listen to the songs, I found them on YouTube:**

**-for Teru-teru-bozu, paste this after : **

/watch?v=JnXl9jNy7o0

**-for Winter's song, paste this (it's only the second stanza but you can at least get a sound of it):**

/watch?v=-42HCEVJQYE

**-if you're interested in the 'Sakura, Sakura' song, there's a Wikipedia article about it, along with a sound sample**

**This is pretty much it, I hope. I also hope you liked my little special story :) Happy New Year to everyone! Keep reading and reviewing in 2013 as well :P**


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